A recent research on cannabis has found that the marijuana smokers have the three times the risk of dying from high blood pressure. Scientists from Georgia State University have confirmed marijuana use is more dangerous for heart health than cigarettes and the increases by more than one time every year.
Although, in some previous cases campaigners insisted that marijuana is safer than tobacco. Lead researcher Barbara Yankey said in a paper of European Society of Cardiology,“It is important to establish whether any health benefits outweigh the potential health, social and economic risks”.
The study was carried out by 1213 volunteers aged 20 or over at National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. They were asked if they had ever smoked marijuana, if yes since when they had started smoking, do they only smoke cigarettes/marijuana or both, they are a regular or occasional smoker.
Researchers also collected the same data on cigarette smokers. 34 percent of them were typically non-smokers, 21 percent of them were only marijuana smokers, 20 percent uses smoked both marijuana and cigarettes, 16 percent uses were past marijuana smokers, 5 percent were past-smokers and 4 percent users only smoked cigarettes.
Compared to non-smokers marijuana smokers have a 3.42 times higher risk of death due to hypertension, MailOnline reported. When researchers merged the mortality statistics of US National Center for Health Statistics with the collected data, then found every ear the risk increases by 1.04 times. It was also proved that marijuana leaves a deeper impact in heart health compared to tobacco.
Yankey also explained that marijuana stimulates the sympathetic nervous system which leads to increase heart rate, oxygen deficiency, and higher blood pressure. Last year the US has legalized cannabis in 8 states, including Alaska, California, and Colorado. Now, experts are trying to find out if there are any health benefits that can that can outweigh the risks.
