Smoking weed daily? Beware it may severely damage your heart

A recent study has revealed that people who use marijuana or weed daily were found to be about one-third more likely to develop Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) as compared to those who have never used drugs.

The findings of the study were presented at the annual meeting of the American College of Cardiology (ACC).

According to experts, CAD is the most common form of heart disease that can be fatal if not treated at the right time. The condition occurs when the arteries that supply blood to the heart become narrowed due to the buildup of cholesterol over a longer period of time.

Some of the common symptoms of CAD include chest pain, shortness of breath, and extreme fatigue. Reportedly, unmanaged CAD can often lead to stroke and heart attack.

During the study, the scientists analysed people who are part of ‘All of Us Research Program’ under which health information of more than one million people in the US are gathered over time.

The study found that those who consume marijuana daily were 34 percent more likely to have coronary artery disease.

“We found that cannabis use is linked to CAD, and there seems to be a dose-response relationship in that more frequent cannabis use is associated with a higher risk of CAD. In terms of the public health message, it shows that there are probably certain harms of cannabis use that weren’t recognised before, and people should take that into account,” Ishan Paranjpe, MD, a resident physician at Stanford University and the study’s lead author, said in a statement published by ACC.

As per the ACC statement, the researchers used Mendelian randomisation (MR) to identify a “causal relationship between cannabis use disorder and CAD risk”.

In 2020, the American Heart Association warned that smoking or vaping any substance, including marijuana, could affect the heart, lungs and blood vessels.