Marijuana may cause heart problems in young adults
By Kerry Sheridan | AFP – 14 hours ago
Young adults who smoke marijuana may be at risk for serious or even fatal heart problems, according to a study by French researchers on Wednesday.
The findings in the Journal of the American Heart Association raises new concerns about the safety of marijuana, just as many parts of the world are relaxing laws on its use and medicinal marijuana is gaining popularity for treating certain health conditions.
The risk of heart complications appeared small in the study, which included nearly 2,000 people who sought medical attention for complications related to marijuana from 2006 to 2010.
Of those, two percent, or 35 people, had heart attacks or circulation problems related to arteries in the brain and limbs.
Of greater concern was the high death rate. One in four of the patients with cardiovascular complications died, said the researchers.
The analysis also found that the percentage of reported cardiovascular complications more than tripled from 2006 to 2010.
“The general public thinks marijuana is harmless, but information revealing the potential health dangers of marijuana use needs to be disseminated to the public, policymakers and healthcare providers,” said lead author Emilie Jouanjus, a medical faculty member at the Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Toulouse in Toulouse, France.
“There is now compelling evidence on the growing risk of marijuana-associated adverse cardiovascular effects, especially in young people,” Jouanjus said.
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