NEWS: CBC: Marijuana smokers risk heart attacks

[janet marie paterson <janet313@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Marijuana smokers risk heart attacks

WebPosted Fri Mar 3 13:39:08 2000

SAN DIEGO - If you're a middle-aged pot smoker, you might be a heart attack 
waiting to happen.

A study presented at a conference of the American Heart Association (AHA) in 
San Diego says the risk of a heart attack is almost five times higher than 
usual in the hour after smoking a joint.

In the second hour, the risk dropped to almost twice as high as normal.

Murray Mittleman, director of cardiovascular epidemiology at Beth 
Israel-Deaconess Medical Center, says the study is the first to show a link 
between pot smoking and heart attacks. Mittleman says the findings should be a 
warning to baby boomers who picked up the habit when they were younger and 
still smoke. Each time they light up, says Mittleman, their risk of a heart 
attack soars.

Researchers studied 3,882 people who had heart attacks. They found that 124 
were current marijuana users. Of that group, 37 said they smoked the drug 
within 24 hours before their heart attack. Nine of them said they'd smoked pot 
within an hour of their first symptoms. The average age of the smokers was 46.

The researchers couldn't say whether it's the marijuana itself or the carbon 
monoxide found in smoke that actually causes the higher heart attack risk.

Previous studies have shown that younger pot smokers are not at a greater risk 
for heart attacks.

The research was funded by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute and the 
American Heart Association.


Copyright 2000 CBC  All Rights Reserved



janet paterson
52 now / 41 dx / 37 onset
a new voice: 
613 256 8340 PO Box 171 Almonte Ontario Canada K0A 1A0