American Heart Association statement: cannabis has cardiovascular risks that outweigh uncertain benefits | Research

The takeaway

The American Heart Association issued its first scientific statement on cannabis and cardiovascular health, concluding that potential cardiovascular harms outweigh uncertain therapeutic benefits.

Cardiologists, primary care physicians, cannabis users with heart disease, and health policy makers.

First AHA scientific statement on cannabis: cardiovascular risks outweigh benefits

What the researchers found

The AHA scientific statement reviewed evidence that cannabis use is associated with cardiovascular risks including tachycardia, arrhythmias, myocardial infarction, stroke, and heart failure, many mediated by delivery mechanism (especially smoking). Few cardiovascular therapeutic benefits were identified. The statement called for reclassification of cannabis from Schedule 1 to enable more research.

Why it matters

This is the first formal position statement on cannabis from the nation most influential cardiovascular organization. It sets the tone for how cardiologists should counsel patients and how research priorities should be directed.

The numbers in context

Published in Circulation (impact factor ~29); covers 25+ years of expanding legalization; calls for reclassification from Schedule 1 to facilitate research.

How the study worked

AHA Scientific Statement (expert consensus review) critically reviewing clinical, epidemiological, and policy literature on cannabis and cardiovascular health from medical and public health perspectives.

What this study cannot tell us

Scientific statement format (expert consensus, not systematic review); much of the underlying evidence is observational; cardiovascular effects of different cannabis products and delivery methods are not well differentiated.

How to read the evidence

Strong: AHA scientific statement published in Circulation, representing expert consensus from a leading cardiovascular organization.

When this study was published

Published 2020.

The bigger picture

With cannabis use increasing rapidly, especially among young people, the AHA is signaling that cardiovascular medicine can no longer ignore cannabis. The call for reclassification reflects the tension between the need for evidence and the legal barriers to obtaining it.

Questions still open

Would non-smoked cannabis products carry fewer cardiovascular risks? Should patients with cardiovascular disease be formally counseled against cannabis use?

Common questions

What does the American Heart Association say about cannabis?

Their first-ever scientific statement concluded that cannabis cardiovascular risks (including arrhythmia, heart attack, and stroke) outweigh the uncertain therapeutic benefits, and called for reclassification to enable better research.

Is cannabis bad for the heart?

According to the AHA, cannabis use is associated with several cardiovascular risks, many related to smoking as the delivery method. The full risk profile of non-smoked cannabis products is less clear.

Read the original research

Medical Marijuana, Recreational Cannabis, and Cardiovascular Health: A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association.

Circulation, 142(10), e131-e152

View on PubMed ↗Publisher’s paper ↗

Citation

Page, Robert L; Allen, Larry A; Kloner, Robert A; Carriker, Colin R; Martel, Catherine; Morris, Alanna A; Piano, Mariann R; Rana, Jamal S; Saucedo, Jorge F. (2020). Medical Marijuana, Recreational Cannabis, and Cardiovascular Health: A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association.. Circulation, 142(10), e131-e152. https://doi.org/10.1161/CIR.0000000000000883