“Smoking pot doesn’t do your heart or your brain any favors, a pair of new studies shows. Frequent pot smokers are more than twice as likely to suffer a stroke compared with those who don't partake, the first study found. They’re also more likely to be hospitalized for a dangerously erratic heart rhythm, according to the second study. Both studies are to be presented at an upcoming meeting of the American Heart Association (AHA), in Philadelphia, Nov. 16 to 18. Research presented at meetings is typically considered preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal. The findings are ‘thought provoking at a time when there is a great push to legalize marijuana, and the herb and its metabolites are being promoted as a cure-all for a myriad of medical conditions and ailments,’ said Dr. Ranjit Suri, an electrophysiologist at Mount Sinai St. Luke's in New York City. Suri was not part of either study. The first study found that non-smokers who use marijuana more than 10 days a month are nearly 2.5 times more likely to have a stroke versus non-users. The study team was surprised that people so young had such an elevated stroke risk, said lead author Tarang Parekh, a health policy researcher at George Mason University in Fairfax, Va. In the second study, researchers found that people who compulsively use cannabis have an up to 50 percent greater risk of being hospitalized for an arrhythmia--an erratic heartbeat that can increase risk of stroke, heart attack or heart failure.” “Frequent pot smokers,” HealthDay News, Nov. 11, 2019 Comments are closed.
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