The local authorities stepped up in combating the increasing cannabis use through the introduction of new legislation to regulate cannabis-derived products, while some governments were moving toward decriminalizing cannabis. The rationale behind the new law was basically rooted from public health concern over cannabis as a gateway to other “harder” drugs and subsequent cognitive consequences. A recent America-based cross-sectional study has highlighted an association between cannabis use and adverse cardiovascular outcomes. Researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital analysed the number of days of cannabis use in the past 30 days and self-reported cardiovascular outcomes in over 400,000 adults aged 18-74 years old. After adjusting for tobacco use and other characteristics, daily cannabis use may increase the incidence risk of coronary heart disease by 16%, myocardial infarction by 25%, and stroke by 42%. The elevated risks are even more prominent among those who have never used tobacco but used cannabis on daily basis, and they are 116% more likely to have stroke. The findings of this study has provided the general public and policymakers a chance to refresh their perception on the associated with cannabis use beyond cognitive health.

Reference:

Jeffers AM, et al. J Am Heart Assoc. 2024 Mar 5;13(5):e030178