Think Weed Is Harmless? This Study Might Change Your Mind
A new international study just delivered a wake-up call to millions of cannabis users: marijuana may be doubling your risk of dying from heart disease.
Published in the journal Heart, CNN reported that the analysis pooled medical data from over 200 million people, most between the ages of 19 and 59. It found that marijuana users had a 29 percent higher risk of heart attacks and a 20 percent higher risk of strokes compared to nonusers.
The most concerning finding? These risks were seen in young, otherwise healthy individuals with no prior heart conditions.
"What was particularly striking was that the concerned patients hospitalized for these disorders were young," said senior study author Émilie Jouanjus, a pharmacology professor at the University of Toulouse.
That ruled out tobacco or existing cardiovascular problems as the primary cause.
This is one of the largest studies to date linking cannabis use with cardiovascular disease, and its timing is critical. As marijuana legalization expands, use has surged past that of tobacco in some demographics.
Many believe marijuana is a safer, more natural alternative to smoking. Experts say that perception needs to change—fast.
"Clinicians need to screen people for cannabis use and educate them about its harms, the same way we do for tobacco," said Dr. Lynn Silver of the University of California, San Francisco. Silver co-authored an editorial accompanying the study, calling for urgent updates to how marijuana is regulated and discussed publicly.
The risks don't stop at inhalation. One recent study found that THC-laced edibles can impair vascular function just as much—or more—than smoking. In that study, vascular function dropped 42 percent in marijuana smokers and 56 percent in edible users.
And the potency? It's not 1970 anymore. Today's cannabis is up to 510 times stronger than the joints of decades past, with some concentrates reaching 99 percent pure THC. That's raising alarms about addiction, psychosis, and now, potentially fatal heart problems.
"If I was a 60-year-old with cardiovascular risk, I'd be very cautious," Silver warned.
Think Weed Is Harmless? This Study Might Change Your Mind first appeared on Men's Journal on Jun 18, 2025
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