Understanding the Cardiovascular Risks of Marijuana

By Alison Adduono, Director of Marketing

Earlier this year The Journal of the American Heart Association reported that daily marijuana use significantly increases one’s risk of heart disease and stroke. In fact, individuals that use marijuana on a daily basis (whether by smoking, vaping or eating) are setting themselves up for very serious health conditions.

Cardiovascular Risks of Marijuana

The AHA research found that there were marijuana effects on the heart. The risk of a heart attack increased with cannabis usage:

25% more likely to have a heart attack from daily usage
3% more likely to have a heart attack with sporadic use

Marijuana Stroke Risk

The AHA research also revealed an elevated marijuana stroke risk:

42% higher risk of stroke with daily cannabis use
5% higher risk of stroke with sporadic use

Cannabis and Cancer

Another troubling issue is that marijuana may even raise the overall risk of contracting head and neck cancers by 3.5-5%.

Dr. Niels Kokot, a professor of clinical otolaryngology-head and neck surgery at the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California, expressed concern that with the use of marijuana rising that diagnoses of head and neck cancers could increase in coming years.

When marijuana is smoked — unfiltered and breathed in deeply and held in the lungs and throat for a few seconds — the risk from cannabis smoke is just as harmful as regular nicotine. Its effects are not all that different from tobacco except for the psychoactive drug: THC versus nicotine.

But Isn’t it Just THC?

Well, it isn’t your grandpa’s “Mary Jane” that he may have smoked back in the day. Over the years its potency has increased:

Historically marijuana contained less than 2% THC
Today some is 28% potent
Concentrated oils are as much as 95% THC

Despite a common misconception that marijuana is not addictive… the stronger it is the higher the risk for addiction. And depending on where you “acquire” it in some cases may even be mixed with other drugs of abuse like phencyclidine, fentanyl, etc.

Like traditional tobacco, marijuana also contains polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), although the levels are lower than those found in tobacco. At least 50 carcinogens found in tobacco smoke are also present in marijuana smoke.

Increased Usage

Not yet legal on a federal level, recreational marijuana has been legalized in 24 states and the District of Columbia. Usage has increased significantly in recent decades in the U.S. A 2019 Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) report shared that more than 48 million people ages 12 and older reported using marijuana at least once. While many consider marijuana harmless to some degree, when we are now hearing about the stroke and cardiovascular risks of marijuana as well as the effects marijuana is having on the mental health of teens… one should take pause on how its increasing usage will play out.

Medicinal Use

While marijuana does have its medicinal use — whether it be for treating anxiety, pain management, alleviating nausea during chemotherapy, or for the control of seizures and epilepsy and a host of other ailments — its troubling side effects are of concern. And with the legalization of recreational marijuana use in half of the states, the problem is bound to compound.

Dr. Robert L. Page II with the AHA stated: “As cannabis use continues to grow in legality and access across the U.S., practitioners and clinicians need to remember to assess cannabis use at each patient encounter in order to have a nonjudgmental, shared decision conversation about potential cardiovascular risks and ways to reduce those risks.” If you are a frequent cannabis user disclosing to your healthcare provider could just save you.

Stay tuned for our next blog coming soon where we will move on from discussing the cardiovascular risks of marijuana and discuss the toxic metals being found in cannabis and their effects on health.