Marijuana use may influence the development of coronary heart disease. According to a study conducted by the American College of Cardiology (ACC), people who use cannabis are one-third more likely (34%) to have heart conditions than those who have never used it. Ishan Paranjpe, M.D., a resident physician at Stanford University and lead author of the research, said:
We found that cannabis use is linked to CAD, and there seems to be a dose-response relationship in that more frequent cannabis use is associated with a higher risk of cardiovascular disease. In terms of the public health message, it shows that there are probably certain harms of cannabis use that weren’t recognized before, and people should take that into account.
The study was conducted based on 175,000 users. It analyzed the relationship between the frequency of cannabis use and the rates at which cardiovascular diseases developed in those users. Marijuana contains more than 100 compounds that directly affect the heart, in addition to causing damage to the brain and lungs of the person who uses the drug, whether smoked or ingested. It also causes mental health problems that can lead to psychiatric treatment due to the addictiveness of the drug.
Legality of marijuana
At the federal level, marijuana is still illegal. Despite this, there are states in where consumption and possession have been legalized.
Recreational cannabis use is legal in 21 states, as well as the District of Columbia. In 2012, Washington and Colorado legalized marijuana for recreational use. Alaska and Oregon followed in 2014. In 2015 the District of Columbia was added to the list joined by California, Nevada, Maine and Massachusetts the following year. Those nine states were joined by Michigan in 2018 and Illinois in 2019. In the following three years, nine more states followed suit: Montana, Vermont, Arizona and New Jersey in 2020 and New Mexico, Connecticut, New York and Virginia in 2021. Rhode Island, Maryland and Missouri most recently legalized it in 2022.
Joe Biden wants to legalize it
The president wants to legalize marijuana. In October, Biden announced that he will pardon thousands of people who were convicted for possession of marijuana. The initiative will be the first step to legalize this drug in the United States, as the president expressed his intention to initiate a process with governors and the departments of Health and Justice to review the legal classification of the plant.
Marijuana is currently classified as a Tier 1 drug, which means it is on the same level as heroin or LSD.
