Cannabis Use Disorder Tied to Incident Cardiovascular Disease Events

Higher risk for incident events seen over seven years of follow-up

By Lori Solomon HealthDay Reporter

THURSDAY, Oct. 12, 2023 (HealthDay News) — Adults with cannabis use disorder (CUD) have a higher risk for incident adverse cardiovascular disease (CVD) events when compared with matched adults without CUD, according to a study published online Sept. 27 in Addiction.

Anees Bahji, M.D., from the University of Calgary, and colleagues examined the association between CUD and adverse CVD outcomes. The analysis included linked administrative health databases (2012 through 2019) from 29,764 matched pairs of individuals with and without CUD.

The researchers found that approximately 2.4 percent in the CUD group and 1.5 percent in the non-CUD group experienced an incident adverse CVD event (risk ratio, 1.57). There was a significant association observed between CUD and reduced time to an incident CVD event. There was greater risk seen for incident CVD among individuals without mental health comorbidity, those who had not used health care services in the previous six months, those who were not on prescription medications, and individuals who did not have comorbid conditions.

“This evidence suggests that cannabis use may place a healthier population at increased risk of major cardiovascular events,” the authors write. “As a result, our study points to the importance of educating our patients about the potential risks associated with cannabis use and CUD.”