Cannabis heart attack link

Researchers in the United States have linked cannabis use with an increased risk of having a heart attack.

The research shows that in the first hour after smoking cannabis a users risk of having a heart attack jumps nearly five times.

The risk is highest for older cannabis users.

The researchers are yet to work out what the cannabis does to the body that increases the risk of heart attack.

There is a need to find out if the toxic chemicals in the THC cause the increased risk or the carbon monoxide in the smoke is to blame.

The heart attack risk spike in the first hour of smoking cannabis decreases with time after the use.

Cannabis users that had a heart attack were much younger (average age 44) compared to non-users that had a heart attack (average age 62).

Cannabis users are twice as likely to have a heart attack in the first one or two hours after using cannabis than are non-users.

(Source: Web MD Medical News Archive www.webmd.com)

DRUG ADVISORY COUNCIL COMMENTS-

This study confirms other medical studies about the human toxicity of cannabis published in The Medical Journal of Australia on 6 April 1992.

Cannabis introduces into the human body compounds that are not normally taken into the body as food or fuel.

The toxins in cannabis THC have prolonged impairments of the brain, immune system, lungs, aerodigestive tract, reproduction, foetal development and mental performance.

Australia must reduce the use of cannabis by empowering its courts to divert users into detoxification and rehabilitation.