Frequent cannabis use is not without health consequences. In particular, with regard to cardiovascular risks that almost double, according to data from a meta-analysis carried out by American researchers from Upstate Medical University in Syracuse, New York, recently published in the American Journal of Medicine. The scholars analyzed data from 1.4 million people who had participated in a long-term survey coordinated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
To evaluate the effects of cannabis, the researchers eliminated a number of confounding factors, although eliminating them completely is not possible. The data of non-smokers only were then analyzed, dividing them into two groups: regular cannabis users (several times a week) and people who had never used it. This showed that regular users (in any form of intake) had an 88% increased risk of myocardial infarction or coronary heart disease. While the risk of stroke increased by 81%.
Not only that: in a subgroup with people suffering from early cardiovascular disease, the damage was even more evident. In fact, the risk of heart attack and coronary heart disease multiplies by 2.3 and that of stroke by 2. Finally, smoked cannabis appears to have greater cardiovascular toxicity.