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Weed Users Have Triple The Death Risk From High Blood Pressure According To New Study

Weed Users Have Triple The Death Risk From High Blood Pressure According To New Study

Health

Weed Users Have Triple The Death Risk From High Blood Pressure According To New Study

According to a new study, regular weed users have triple the death risk from high blood pressure. This data adds to the always-expanding body of cannabis research.

There is already a sizable body of research about weed. And there is more research being done all the time. Most of it is aimed at figuring out exactly how weed interacts with the human body. Now, a brand new study suggests that weed users have triple the death risk from high blood pressure.

A New Study

The study was carried out by researchers at Georgia State University’s school of public health. It was published this week in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology.

The study was essentially a statistical review of data gathered from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Back in 2005-2006, people participating in that survey were asked whether or not they consume cannabis. Various other health indicators were also monitored and recorded.

The new study tracked the health outcomes of people involved in the original survey. In particular, researchers merged that data with mortality stats gathered from the 2011 U.S. National Center for Health Statistics.

Researchers wanted to see how cannabis use may have affected people’s long-term health. In particular, they measured weed use against the likelihood of suffering from hypertension, heart disease, and cerebrovascular mortality. After adjusting for confounding factors, they concluded that weed users have triple the death risk from high blood pressure.

The researchers looked at data from 1,213 people. Out of those people, 72.5 percent of them are still alive. Of the 27.5 percent of people who had died since the original 2005-2006 survey, those who consumed weed died from hypertension 3.42 times more frequently than those who didn’t.

On top of that, people were 1.04 times more likely to die from high blood pressure for each year of regular cannabis use.

Final Hit: Weed Users Have Triple The Death Risk From High Blood Pressure

Weed Users Have Triple The Death Risk From High Blood Pressure According To New Study

With all that said, the results from this study may not be as hard and fast as they may sound. In fact, the researchers themselves are clear about the remaining uncertainties.

“From our results, marijuana use may increase the risk for hypertension mortality,” they wrote. “Recreational marijuana use potentially has cardiovascular adverse effects which needs further investigation.”

Instead of providing any fully conclusive results, the study points to some possible harms associated with regularly consuming weed. But, in the end, this study highlights something that needs to be studied more before we fully understand it.

For most users, decreased blood pressure is one of the immediate effects weed has on your body. In fact, this drop in blood pressure is what makes weed effective at treating conditions like glaucoma.

Similarly, an earlier study found that quitting cannabis may be a bigger contributor to high blood pressure than regular use. “Blood pressure significantly increased during periods of cannabis abstinence compared with periods of cannabis use,” researchers from that study wrote.

On top of that, other studies have found that doses of THC helped lower blood pressure. These studies suggested that cannabis may actually help people with high blood pressure. They also said that doses of medical cannabis could be used as a treatment for hypertension.

After taking all this together with the newer study, it seems obvious that at the very least cannabis consumers should be aware of their blood pressure. Ultimately, it’s probably a good idea for regular weed users to take steps to keep blood pressure in check—but that’s a good idea whether you smoke weed or not.

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