Using cannabis – either by smoking, eating or vaping it – may raise the risk for heart attacks and strokes, new research suggests.
Survey respondents who said they use cannabis, or marijuana, had a higher risk for cardiovascular problems regardless of whether they used tobacco products or had other underlying cardiovascular risk factors, the study found. The research was published Wednesday in the Journal of the American Heart Association.
“Despite common use, little is known about the risks of cannabis use and, in particular, the cardiovascular disease risks,” lead study author Dr. Abra Jeffers said in a news release. Jeffers is a data analyst at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. “The perceptions of the harmfulness of smoking cannabis are decreasing, and people have not considered cannabis use dangerous to their health.”
Watch reports on this study from NBC Boston, WCVB Channel 5 Boston and Boston 25 News below: