Study shows cannabis use triples risk of hypertension

Consuming cannabis may increase the risk of dying from hypertension or arterial pressure threefold. So say scientists following the publication of a new study on the subject, published in European Journal of Preventive Cardiology. This study suggests that cannabis use is more dangerous to heart health than smoking.

Barbara Yankey, who led the research at Georgia State University, is the author of the study. She explains: «It's important to justify whether the health benefits of cannabis outweigh the potential risks that the substance can cause, including social and economic risks. If cannabis is implicated in cardiovascular disease, it's up to policymakers and the health community to protect the public».

The experts explain that these results are important in view of the legalization of cannabis for recreational use in the United States. American states concerned, including the Colorado and the Nevada.

What does the study say? 

The researchers analyzed 1,213 people aged 20 and over who had taken part in a National Health and Nutrition Evaluation Survey. Between 2005 and 2006, the scientists asked participants whether they had ever used cannabis, and if so, at what age they started. The average length of use among cannabis users was 11.5 years.

Information on cigarette consumption was also collected, as well as gender, age and ethnic origin. Based on these factors, the results were merged with statistics from the US National Center of Health Statistics mortality.

The results show that a cannabis user is three times more likely to die from high blood pressure than a non-user. Barbara Yankey justifies this result by explaining that cannabis stimulates the nervous system, leading to an increase in heart rate, oxygen demand and thus blood pressure.

«We found higher cardiovascular risks associated with cannabis use compared with smoking. This indicates that the substance may have an even greater impact on the cardiovascular system than that already established for cigarettes,» she asserts. 

However, Barbara Yankey confides that there were limitations in assessing cannabis use. For example, the researchers couldn't be sure whether participants had used cannabis continuously since their first use.

She concludes her study by saying that «recreational cannabis use may have adverse cardiovascular effects but these require further study.»

Mehdi Bautier