Using marijuana every day can raise a person’s risk of coronary artery disease, or CAD, by a third compared with those who never partake, a new study found.
“A growing body of evidence suggests that cannabis is not entirely without harm and may actually cause cardiovascular disease,” said lead study author Dr. Ishan Paranjpe, a resident physician at Stanford University. The study — which has not yet been published -— will be presented Sunday at the annual meeting of the American College of Cardiology.
“Thus, the decision to use cannabis must be carefully weighed against the potential for serious heart disease,” Paranjpe said.
Coronary artery disease is caused by plaque buildup in the walls of the arteries that supply blood to the heart. Also called atherosclerosis, CAD is the most common type of heart disease, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Signs of the condition include having angina, or chest pain, feeling weak, dizzy or sick to your stomach, or experiencing shortness of breath. However, for “some people, the first sign of CAD is a heart attack,” the CDC says on its website.