Marijuana use linked to blood vessel damage—impact seen with smoking and edibles
Smoking marijuana and eating THC-based gummies have a negative impact on a person’s vascular health, according to new research published in JAMA Cardiology.[1] In fact, the impact appears to be comparable to the damage seen in some tobacco users.
“There is a popular belief that marijuana smoke is harmless,” wrote first author Leila Mohammadi, MD, PhD, a vascular specialist with the University of California San Francisco, and colleagues. “However, marijuana smoke contains many of the thousands of chemicals contained in tobacco smoke, along with fine particles that contribute to cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. As cannabis legalization increases, it is crucial to understand the public health and clinical implications of marijuana use.”
Mohammadi et al. tracked the vascular endothelial function of both chronic marijuana smokers and THC-based edible users. The study included 55 patients with a mean age of 31.1 years old. Participants were either marijuana smokers, edible users or nonusers. No participants smoked tobacco or were frequently exposed to secondhand smoke.
Overall, mean arterial flow-mediated dilation (FMD) measurements were lower for marijuana smokers (6%) and edible users (4.6%) than nonusers (10.4%). Among both marijuana smokers and edible users, increased use was directly associated with lower FMD values.
“Vascular health can be evaluated by measuring endothelial function as arterial FMD, the vasodilation of arteries in response to increased blood flow and resulting endothelial release of vasodilatory factors including nitric oxide,” the authors wrote. “FMD is a well-established clinical measure of endothelial function that is considered a predictor of later vascular disease.”
When it came to pulse wave velocity (PMV) and other measures of arterial pressure and vascular tone, however, there were no significant differences between groups.
Another key takeaway from the group’s research was the fact that marijuana smokers, but not edible users, were linked to reduced levels of vascular endothelial growth factor-stimulated nitric oxide production compared to nonusers.
“Using strict inclusion and exclusion criteria to avoid confounding effects of other potential exposures, we found that chronic marijuana smoking and THC-edible use were both associated with reductions in FMD compared with nonuser controls,” the group explained. “The reduction in FMD was similar to what we have reported previously for chronic tobacco smokers.”
This study was funded by grants from the National Institute on Drug Abuse, California Department of Cannabis Control and other organizations. However, these groups had no role when it came to the design or conduct of the study.
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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.