According to a 2022 poll, more people in the US use marijuana than tobacco, which might be problematic based on new research.
Two new non-published studies presented Monday at the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions in Philadelphia say that older adults who use marijuana—but don’t smoke tobacco—are at a higher risk of heart attack and stroke when hospitalized, and those who use marijuana on a daily basis are 34% more likely to develop heart failure.
“Observational data are strongly pointing to the fact that … cannabis use at any point in time, be it recreational or medicinal, may lead to the development of cardiovascular disease,” Robert Page II, chair of the volunteer writing group for the 2020 American Heart Association Scientific Statement said in a statement.
Notably, Page was not involved in either of the new studies, CNN reported.
The new findings have doubled down on the AHA recommendations that advise people to refrain from smoking or vaping any substance, including cannabis products.
“The latest research about cannabis use indicates that smoking and inhaling cannabis increases concentrations of blood carboxyhemoglobin (carbon monoxide, a poisonous gas), tar (partly burned combustible matter) similar to the effects of inhaling a tobacco cigarette, both of which have been linked to heart muscle disease, chest pain, heart rhythm disturbances, heart attacks and other serious conditions,” Page, a professor in the department of clinical pharmacy and physical medicine/rehabilitation at the University of Colorado Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences in Aurora, Colorado added in his statement.
“You need to treat this just like you would any other risk factor (for heart disease and stroke) and honestly understand the risks that you were taking.”
The use of marijuana among the older population has doubled between 2015-2018.
Older adults often develop several chronic conditions by age 65, which appear to make the impact of marijuana worse when compared to adults over 65 with cannabis use disorder who do not smoke tobacco.
“What is unique about our study is that patients who were using tobacco were excluded because cannabis and tobacco are sometimes used together; therefore, we were able to specifically examine cannabis use and cardiovascular outcomes,” said lead study author Dr. Avilash Mondal, a resident physician at Nazareth Hospital in Philadelphia, said.
Researchers found in one study that daily use of marijuana increased the risk of developing heart failure by about one-third, compared to people who reported never using marijuana, and in a second study, older people with any combination of Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol who partake in cannabis use, significantly increased their risk for a major acute heart or brain event while hospitalized, compared to those who reported not using marijuana.
