Diseases & conditions

Study Links Cannabis Use to Doubled Heart Disease Death Risk

Published JUN 18 2025

Story

Above: A worker trims cannabis at the growing facility of the Tikun Olam company on March 7, 2011 in Israel. Image credit: Uriel Sinai/Getty Images

The Facts

According to a new meta-analysis published in the journal Heart, cannabis use doubles the risk of cardiovascular disease death, increases acute coronary syndrome risk by 29%, and stroke risk by 20%.
Heart
Daily Mail
EurekAlert!
The researchers analyzed 24 studies involving approximately 200 million people aged between 19 and 59, which explored cannabis use and serious cardiovascular outcomes, including death.
EurekAlert!
Public Health Institute
Daily Mail
The meta-analysis examined studies published between January 2016 and December 2023, comprising 17 cross-sectional studies, 6 cohort studies, and one case-control study, selected from an initial pool of 3,012 articles.
Discover Magazine
Medical Dialogues
New York Post
Researchers acknowledged a moderate to high risk of bias in most studies due to a lack of information on missing data, imprecise measures of cannabis exposure, and the observational nature of the studies.
Daily Mirror
EurekAlert!
The analysis could not differentiate between consumption methods such as smoking, vaping, edibles, or dabbing, though epidemiological data suggests smoking was likely the most common method used.
Health
CNN
New York Post
As a conclusion, researchers called for cannabis to be treated like tobacco — not criminalized but discouraged — with adequate product warnings, education on risks, and protection from second-hand exposure.
CBS News
Public Health Institute

Sources Split

LEFT

CENTER

RIGHT

ESTAB
CRIT

CENTER

PRO
ESTAB

The Spin

Narrative A

This groundbreaking research provides crucial evidence that cannabis poses serious cardiovascular risks that have been overlooked for too long. The doubling of heart disease death risk and significant increases in stroke and heart attack rates demand immediate regulatory action. Cannabis should be treated like tobacco with proper warnings and restrictions to protect public health.

Heart

CNN

Narrative B

While this study raises concerns, it has significant limitations, including observational data that cannot prove causation, potential bias in most studies, and imprecise exposure measurements. The research doesn't account for different consumption methods or cannabis potency variations that could affect results. More rigorous studies are needed before drawing definitive conclusions about cannabis cardiovascular risks.

Daily Mirror