Cannabis legalization linked to more hospitalizations for heart attacks, other cardiovascular issues
The legalization of recreational cannabis in an area is associated with an increase in hospitalizations for myocardial infarction (MI), atrial fibrillation (AFib) and heart failure (HF), according to new findings published in BMJ Open.[1]
“Cannabis use affects the cardiovascular system through adrenergic, thrombotic and inflammatory pathways, but its clinical impact on cardiovascular outcomes is not well defined,” wrote first author Samuel D. Slavin, MD, a cardiologist with Boston Medical Center, and colleagues. “Recreational cannabis legalization policies are associated with increased use of cannabis products, particularly among older individuals at higher risk for cardiovascular events. Thus, cannabis legalization policies could affect cardiovascular outcomes on a population level.”
Slavin et al. explored data from the National Inpatient Sample, focusing on more than 50 million hospital discharges from 2012 to 2018 at Western U.S. states where cannabis was legalized. This included hospitalizations from before legalization (2012 to 2013) and after legalization (2014 to 2018). Hospitalization data was then compared to non-Western U.S. states where cannabis was not legalized.
Overall, an unadjusted analysis found that cannabis legalization was linked to an increased hospitalization rate for MI, AFib, HF, venous thromboembolism and ventricular tachycardia. In a fully adjusted model, cannabis legalization was still associated with more hospitalization for MI, AFib and HF.
The group emphasized that these findings do not prove causality. However, they find that the data do point to the “potential adverse effects” of legalization policies.
“These findings set the stage for future research to define the cardiovascular impact of cannabis policies through more granular data and policy experiments,” the authors wrote. “Cannabis sales data might be used to assess the association between cannabis formulations (edible versus inhaled, or combustible versus non-combustible products) and outcomes. Finally, states that have not yet legalized recreational cannabis might coordinate the timing of legal sales to study the effects.”
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Michael has more than 19 years of experience as a professional writer and editor. He has written at length about cardiology, radiology, artificial intelligence and other key healthcare topics.