Study: Cannabis Use Not Associated With Elevated Risk of Atrial Fibrillation
San Francisco, CA: Middle-aged adults with a history of cannabis consumption do not possess an increased risk of suffering from atrial fibrillation (AFib), according to longitudinal data published in the journal Heart Rhythm.
Investigators affiliated with the University of California, San Francisco assessed the relationship between cannabis and AFib (irregular heartbeat) in a cohort of more than 150,000 subjects between the ages of 40 and 69. The cohort included non-users, occasional users, and frequent users. Researchers tracked the study’s participants for six years.
Researchers found “no evidence” that subjects who used cannabis were more likely than non-users to suffer from atrial fibrillation.
“Among a large, prospective cohort, we were unable to find evidence that occasional cannabis use [defined as more than 100 times] was associated with a higher risk of incident AF,” the study’s authors concluded. “To our knowledge, this is the first longitudinal cohort study to assess such recreational use and the first to report an absence of a relationship between cannabis use and risk of AF.”
AFib is associated with an increased risk of stroke and other adverse cardiovascular events.
Data published in October reported that middle-aged cannabis consumers do not possess an elevated risk of atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries) as compared to never users. The findings of a meta-analysis published in May concluded, “Cannabis use insignificantly predicts all major cardiovascular adverse events,” including myocardial infarction and stroke. By contrast, data published recently in the journal Addiction reported that adults engaged in problematic cannabis use possess an elevated risk of adverse cardiovascular outcomes.
Full text of the study, “Cannabis use and incident of atrial fibrillation in a longitudinal cohort,” appears in Heart Rhythm.
Analysis: Legalization Not Associated With Spikes in Incidences of Marijuana-Related Psychosis
London, Canada: The legalization of the Canadian marijuana market is not associated with increases in rates of cannabis-related psychosis, according to data published in the International Journal of Drug Policy.
A team of Canadian researchers examined regional changes in health services use and incidences of psychotic disorders during the months immediately following legalization. (Canada legalized marijuana possession and retail sales in October 2018.)
They reported, “We did not find evidence of increases in health service use or incident cases of psychotic disorders over the short-term (17 month) period following cannabis legalization.” They cautioned, however, that “a longer post-legalization observation period ... is needed to fully understand the population-level impacts of non-medical cannabis legalization.”
The finding is consistent with the conclusions of a 2022 study published in the Canadian Journal of Psychiatry. Its authors similarly determined that the “implementation of Canada’s cannabis legalization framework was not associated with evidence of significant changes in cannabis-induced psychosis or schizophrenia ED [emergency department] presentations.”
In the United States, state-level marijuana legalization laws have not been associated with a statistically significant increase in psychosis-related health outcomes. Specifically, a 2022 paper published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) Network Open found no association between the adoption of marijuana legalization and overall rates of psychosis-related diagnoses or prescribed antipsychotics.
Although the use of cannabis and other controlled substances tends to be more common among those with psychotic illnesses, studies indicate that lifetime incidences of marijuana-induced psychosis are relatively rare among those who do not have a prior psychiatric diagnosis. According to one recently published study, fewer than one-half of one percent of cannabis consumers had ever reported experiencing psychotic symptoms requiring medical intervention – a percentage that is lower than the rate associated with alcohol.
Full text of the study, “Impact of non-medical cannabis legalization with market restrictions on health service use and incident cases of psychotic disorder in Ontario, Canada,” appears in the International Journal of Drug Policy.
Analysis: Legalization Not Associated With Spikes in Incidences of Marijuana-Related Psychosis
London, Canada: The legalization of the Canadian marijuana market is not associated with increases in rates of cannabis-related psychosis, according to data published in the International Journal of Drug Policy.
A team of Canadian researchers examined regional changes in health services use and incidences of psychotic disorders during the months immediately following legalization. (Canada legalized marijuana possession and retail sales in October 2018.)
They reported, “We did not find evidence of increases in health service use or incident cases of psychotic disorders over the short-term (17 month) period following cannabis legalization.” They cautioned, however, that “a longer post-legalization observation period … is needed to fully understand the population-level impacts of non-medical cannabis legalization.”
The finding is consistent with the conclusions of a 2022 study published in the Canadian Journal of Psychiatry. Its authors similarly determined that the “implementation of Canada’s cannabis legalization framework was not associated with evidence of significant changes in cannabis-induced psychosis or schizophrenia ED [emergency department] presentations.”
In the United States, state-level marijuana legalization laws have not been associated with a statistically significant increase in psychosis-related health outcomes. Specifically, a 2022 paper published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) Network Open found no association between the adoption of marijuana legalization and overall rates of psychosis-related diagnoses or prescribed antipsychotics.
Although the use of cannabis and other controlled substances tends to be more common among those with psychotic illnesses, studies indicate that lifetime incidences of marijuana-induced psychosis are relatively rare among those who do not have a prior psychiatric diagnosis. According to one recently published study, fewer than one-half of one percent of cannabis consumers had ever reported experiencing psychotic symptoms requiring medical intervention – a percentage that is lower than the rate associated with alcohol.
Full text of the study, “Impact of non-medical cannabis legalization with market restrictions on health service use and incident cases of psychotic disorder in Ontario, Canada,” appears in the International Journal of Drug Policy.
Analysis: Few Serious Adverse Events Associated With Medical Cannabis Use
Montreal, Canada: Few patients authorized to consume medical cannabis products report experiencing serious side effects, according to data published in the journal Drug Safety.
McGill University researchers analyzed data from a cohort of nearly 3,000 authorized Canadian medical cannabis patients. Data regarding adverse events was collected by enrollees’ attending physicians over a period of several years.
A total of 108 patients (about four percent of the cohort) reported experiencing marijuana-related adverse events. The most frequently reported side effects were dizziness, somnolence, headache, nausea, and vomiting.
Patients with mental health disorders were no more likely than others to report side effects from cannabis treatment. The latter finding is consistent with data from a 2022 study, which found that authorized Canadian patients were at low risk for psychiatric hospitalizations resulting from their medical cannabis use.
The study’s authors concluded: “This is the first comprehensive, population-level prospective study to contribute evidence that MC [medical cannabis] is safe for a wide variety of symptoms. ... No new safety concerns were identified relative to the published literature, although notable differences in AE [adverse events] profile between modes of administration and cannabinoid content ratios should be considered by health professionals.”
Full text of the study, “A descriptive analysis of adverse event reports from the Quebec Cannabis Registry,” appears in Drug Safety.
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