Marijuana may be bad for your heart whether smoked or taken as edibles, study suggests

(Gray News) – Whether it is smoked or ingested, cannabis is bad for your heart, according to a new study.

The study was conducted by researchers at US San Francisco and published Saturday in JAMA Cardiology.

The researchers recruited 55 people between October 2021 and August 2024 for the study. The participants were outwardly healthy and either regularly smoked marijuana or consumed edibles containing THC, the primary psychoactive compound found in cannabis. They also did not consume nicotine.

The participants consumed cannabis at least three times a week for the last year.

The ones who smoked averaged 10 years of chronic use while those who took edibles averaged five years.

Researchers said they learned that people who regularly used marijuana regardless of what form it is in had reduced blood vessel function comparable to tobacco smokers. Overall, the vascular function in those who regularly used cannabis was reduced by half compared to those who did not use it.

Decreased vascular function is associated with a greater risk of heart attack, hypertension, and other cardiovascular conditions.

The researchers also learned that the decreased vascular function that comes from smoking is likely caused by a different factor than the decreased function caused by edibles.

The marijuana smokers showed changes in their blood serum that proved harmful to endothelial cells, which form the inner lining of blood and lymphatic vessels. Those who took THC edibles did not show changes in their blood serum.