Legislation for both medicinal and recreational cannabis use has resulted in higher rates of cannabis use. Research meanwhile suggests that people who regularly use the substance have a significantly higher risk of heart attack than non-users and that there may be a causal relationship between cannabis use and adverse cardiovascular outcomes.
In the current study, researchers investigated the link between cannabis and vascular dysfunction, which is associated to a greater risk of heart attack, hypertension, and other cardiovascular conditions.
To do so, they recruited 55 healthy adults with an average age of 31 years old between 2021 and 2024 who neither smoked tobacco nor engaged in vaping, and who were not frequently exposed to secondhand smoke. They were split into three cohorts: two chronic cannabis user groups (one smoking cannabis and one consuming tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) edibles), and a non-user group.
Chronic cannabis users were characterized as using cannabis for a minimum of three times per week for at least a year. Whereas smokers used cannabis for an average of 10 years, those consuming edibles did so for an average of five years.
Ultimately, the researchers found that cannabis use- regardless of form- was linked to a substantial reduction in vascular function; a reduction of around 50% compared to non-users. They further found that, unlike those consuming edibles, smokers experienced changes in their blood serum that were harmful to endothelial cells, something which suggests smoking cannabis and ingesting THC affect vascular function in different ways.
“This cross-sectional study found that chronic cannabis smoking and THC ingestion were associated with endothelial dysfunction similar to that observed in tobacco smokers, although apparently occurring via distinct mechanisms,” wrote the researchers in their study.
Sources: JAMA Cardiology, EurekAlert