No Association Between Marijuana Use and Elevated Cardiovascular Risk

Pittsburgh, PA: Middle-aged adults who consume cannabis do not possess an elevated risk of atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries) as compared to never users, according to data published in the journal Circulation, Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes.

A team of investigators affiliated with the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center assessed the relationship between marijuana use and the risk of adverse atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) in a nationally representative sample of nearly 14,000 adults between the ages of 18 and 59. 

Compared to never users, cannabis consumers were more likely to report smoking tobacco – a known risk factor for atherosclerosis. Nevertheless, marijuana consumers did not possess a higher disease risk as compared to nonusers – a finding that is consistent with those of other longitudinal trials. 

Researchers also reported that subjects with a history of cannabis consumption were less likely than controls to suffer from either diabetes or obesity – a finding that is also consistent with prior research. 

They concluded, “This cross-sectional study found no association between self-reported marijuana use and increased burden of traditional ASCVD risk factors, estimated long-term ASCVD risk, or cardiometabolic profiles”

Full text of the study, “Comparison of atherosclerotic cardiovascular risk factors and cardiometabolic profiles between current and never users of marijuana,” appears in Circulation, Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes.