Daily marijuana use significantly increases risk of coronary artery disease
Daily marijuana use is associated with a much higher risk of developing coronary artery disease (CAD), according to a new analysis of the health habits of more than 175,000 Americans.
The full study will be presented at the American College of Cardiology’s upcoming annual meeting, ACC.23 Together with the World Congress of Cardiology, in New Orleans.
The team behind the study evaluated data from the All of Us Research Program developed by the National Institute of Health. Participants responded to surveys about their lifestyles, and the researchers also had access to several years of medical records.
Overall, after making adjustments, the group found that daily marijuana use was linked to a 34% greater chance of developing CAD. Monthly use, meanwhile, was not associated with such a risk. This does not include individuals who only take products containing CBD.
“We found that cannabis use is linked to CAD, and there seems to be a dose-response relationship in that more frequent cannabis use is associated with a higher risk of CAD,” lead author Ishan Paranjpe, MD, a resident physician at Stanford University, said in a prepared statement previewing the research. “In terms of the public health message, it shows that there are probably certain harms of cannabis use that weren’t recognized before, and people should take that into account.”
More and more states have started legalizing marijuana use, highlighting the importance of learning as much as possible about its potential impact on a person’s health. The team noted that more research is still needed to study whether the way marijuana is consumed—if it is smoked or eaten, for example—impacts a user’s risk of developing CAD.
Paranjpe will present his team’s full findings Monday, March 6, at ACC.23/WCC. More details about the conference, including a full program and details about in-person and virtual registration, are available here.
Read about other studies scheduled to be presented at ACC.23/WCC here and here.
Michael has more than 18 years of experience as a professional writer and editor. He has written at length about cardiology, radiology, artificial intelligence and other key healthcare topics.