Smoking or vaping cannabis is also harmful to the lungs and blood vessels.
Marijuana and heart health would not be compatible. “The American Heart Association recommends against smoking or vaping substances, such as cannabis products, because of potential risks to the heart, lungs and blood vessels”, Rose Marie Robertson tells CNN. In the association’s specialist journal, Traffica study looks at the links between cannabis use and the heart.
Immediate effects on the body
According to scientists, this can interfere with drug treatments, but also cause cardiac arrest or strokes. A few hours after smoking cannabis containing tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the active substance of cannabis, the cardiac risk appears: some people may experience tachycardia or atrial fibrillation. The heartbeat can speed up, which increases oxygen consumption and damages the arterial walls. When people already have a heart condition or disease, the risks associated with cannabis use are even greater.
The need for research
Pharmacologist Robert Page believes there is an urgent need for scientific studies on the links between cannabis use and heart health. Today, most work focuses only on the short-term effects of cannabis and is often retrospective. “This identifies trends, but does not prove cause and effect”underlines the scientist.
The risk of illegal products
He also recommends that people who want to use marijuana discuss it with a medical professional. “If someone chooses to use cannabis for its medicinal or recreational properties, oral forms or those applied topically, whose doses can be measured, could reduce some of the potential risks.” He also recalls that it is essential to use legal cannabis, in countries where it is authorized. “There is no control over the quality or content of cannabis products sold on the street”he says.
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