Two studies have brought up concerns for frequent pot smokers. According to this research, frequent users of marijuana have a higher risk of stroke and arrhythmia. (1)
Pot Smokers Higher Risk of Stroke
The first study, which researchers presented at the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions 2019, focused on the risk of stroke for people who use pot regularly. The AHA journal Stroke published the study in November 2019. (1, 2)
Researchers pulled data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) taken between the years 2016 and 2017. It is a survey that the Center for Disease Control and Prevention collects. It is a nationally representative cross-sectional. (2)
They examined the connection between stroke in young adults between the ages of 18 and 44 and recent marijuana use (within the last 30 days). They observed that 13.6% of the 43,000 participants reported using marijuana within the last month. (2)
Researchers found that young adults who had recently used marijuana had 1.82 times higher odds of stroke compared to nonusers. And the risk rose for frequent marijuana users who did not use tobacco. Researchers defined frequent marijuana users as people who use pot 10 or more days out of each month. For them, the risk of stroke rose 2.85 times. And participants who use marijuana and smoke cigarettes or e-cigarettes were three times more likely to have a stroke. (2)
While researchers found a correlation between marijuana use and higher odds of stroke, the study did not prove that marijuana was responsible for the risk. Their data showed that users of marijuana are also more likely to be heavy drinkers, which is a stroke risk. Researchers did try to adjust for this factor. (1, 2)
Arrhythmia and Cannabis Use
The second study examined people with cannabis use disorder (CUD). Patients with CUD use marijuana frequently and compulsively. The medical community considered CUD to be similar to alcoholism. (1, 2)
Researchers pulled data from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality’s Nationwide Inpatient Sample between the years 2010 and 2014. They found that individuals with CUD were 50% more likely to be hospitalized for arrhythmia. (3, 4)
Arrhythmia is an issue with the heart’s rhythm, making it beat too fast, too slow, or irregularly. Some arrhythmias are benign, but they can be life-threatening. (1, 4)
African American males between the ages of 15 and 24 with CUD were the most likely to be hospitalized for arrhythmia. However, white men between the ages of 45 and 54 were most likely to have the disorder. (3, 4)
Like the first study, this one was also observational. While researchers found a correlation between arrhythmia and cannabis use disorder, they will need to conduct further research to establish a direct cause-and-effect relationship between the two. (1)
Marijuana Research
Study authors urged the medical community to consider possible marijuana use when treating patients. They also asked for further research. (4)
“As medical and recreational cannabis is legalized in many states, it is important to know the difference between therapeutic cannabis dosing for medical purposes and the consequences of cannabis abuse. We urgently need additional research to understand these issues,” Rikinkumar S. Patel, M.D., M.P.H., a resident physician in the department of psychiatry at the Griffin Memorial Hospital in Norman, Oklahoma. (4)
