Research Links Marijuana Use with Increased Risk of Heart Disease

New research links the risk of marijuana use with heart disease, CNN reports.

A study presented at a meeting of the American Heart Association this week included data from more than 150,000 adults. They were free from heart failure at the beginning of the study. During the study period, almost 2% developed heart failure. People who reported daily marijuana use had a 34% increased risk of developing heart failure, compared to those who reported never using marijuana. This risk was the same regardless of age, sex assigned at birth or smoking history.

“Prior research shows links between marijuana use and cardiovascular disease like coronary artery disease, heart failure and atrial fibrillation, which is known to cause heart failure,” lead study author Yakubu Bene-Alhasan, M.D., M.P.H., said in a news release. “Marijuana use isn’t without its health concerns, and our study provides more data linking its use to cardiovascular conditions.”

In a second study, older people with any combination of Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol who used marijuana significantly increased their risk for a major acute heart or brain event while hospitalized, compared to those who reported not using marijuana.