AHA: Cannabis use linked to increased odds of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease
· Medical Xpressby Elana Gotkine
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Cannabis use is associated with increased odds of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) in specific subgroups, including never-smokers, women and young adults without traditional risk factors, according to a study presented at the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions 2026, held from Nov. 6 to 9 in Chicago.
Aabha Divya, M.B.B.S., from the Tulane University School of Medicine in New Orleans, and colleagues examined the association between cannabis use frequency and prevalent ASCVD in a nationally representative sample using pooled 2020 to 2024 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System data.
Among 577,057 adults, there was a 52% relative increase in any cannabis use, from 10.5% in 2020 to 16.0% in 2024. The researchers found that cannabis use was directionally associated with higher odds of ASCVD across frequency categories in the primary adjusted analysis, although estimates did not reach statistical significance.
There was a significant cannabis-by-sex interaction, with stronger associations seen among women. Moderate cannabis use was significantly associated with ASCVD among women. There was an independent association observed for low-frequency cannabis use with ASCVD in never-smokers. Heavy cannabis use was significantly associated with ASCVD among adults aged 18 to 44 years without diabetes, hypertension or obesity. States with recreational legalization exhibited stronger associations.
"We were surprised to find that the link between cannabis use and cardiovascular disease was not straightforward," Divya said in a statement. "We expected that the chances of heart disease would gradually rise as people used cannabis more often, but that wasn't the case. Both low-use and heavy-use groups had higher odds of developing heart disease."
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