Regular cannabis use could sharply raise the risk of death from heart disease and increase stroke risk by 20%, according to a new global study published in the journal Heart.
The study analysed data from nearly 200 million people across 24 international studies published between 2016 and 2023. The findings suggest that cannabis users are twice as likely to die from cardiovascular disease and face a 20% greater stroke risk, compared to non-users.
“Cannabis use carries significant cardiovascular harm,” the authors from the University of Toulouse, France wrote. The analysis found a 29% increased risk of acute coronary syndrome in cannabis users, alongside heightened risks for stroke and heart disease.
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The study also highlights a growing concern: as cannabis products become more potent and more widely used, ranging from high-THC concentrates to edibles, their long-term impact on heart health remains poorly understood.
In an accompanying editorial, Prof Stanton Glantz and Dr Lynn Silver of the University of California at San Francisco urged that cannabis regulation must now take cardiovascular risks into account, similar to tobacco. They said that more efforts should be taken to educate people about the risks associated with cannabis, as has been done with cigarettes. “Cannabis should not be criminalised, but its health risks need to be communicated,” they wrote.
“Legalising the drug and expanding its medical use worldwide have likely contributed to profound changes in the general perception of cannabis and to the overall rise in cannabis consumption,” write the researchers.
