A recent global review of data has found that cannabis use may double the risk of dying from heart disease and increase the risk of stroke by 20%. The study, conducted by researchers at the University of Toulouse in France, analyzed data from over 200 million people across 24 studies. The analysis revealed heightened risks for acute coronary syndrome, stroke, and cardiovascular disease, with the cardiovascular disease risk doubling.
The findings were published in the journal Heart and highlighted a significant gap in understanding the scale of cannabis-related cardiovascular risks. Researchers acknowledged limitations to their study, including bias in many of the included studies, but said it provided new insights from real-world data.
Experts Prof Stanton Glantz and Dr Lynn Silver of the University of California at San Francisco expressed concerns about the assumption that cannabis imposes little cardiovascular risk. They emphasized the need for further research on the impact of changing cannabis products on cardiovascular risks and called for regulation to include education, effective product warnings, and restrictions on secondhand exposure.
The study’s findings have significant implications for public health policy, with researchers suggesting that cannabis should be treated like tobacco – not criminalized but discouraged, with protection for bystanders from secondhand exposure.
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/society/2025/jun/17/cannabis-use-could-double-risk-of-heart-deaths-study-suggests