Going ‘California sober’ could be bad for one’s heart
Evidence is mounting that a daily toke can be bad for your heart. A large new study in the Journal of the American Heart Association found that the more often one partakes in cannabis, the higher one’s risk of heart disease, heart attack or stroke. Daily users had a 25% higher chance of having a heart attack and 42% higher odds of a stroke than non-users.
It’s the latest in a string of studies showing a link between marijuana and heart health. These findings rely on surveys that ask people to recall habits and health conditions, rather than following participants in real time. Memories are fallible and people can also massage the truth.
Self-reported use of cannabis in the new study was below what other surveys found. But even so, the trend is clear enough to put cardiovascular risk on the radars of pot users. That’s especially important now that recreational cannabis use is on the rise and is being framed as a ‘healthy’ alternative to drinking.
The ‘California sober’ lifestyle, of eschewing alcohol for pot, is catching on. Cannabis firms are leaning into the aura of health. During Dry January, a public health initiative against alcohol, I was flooded with pitches from cannabis companies hoping to fill the void.
One firm said its THC-infused drinks were “healthier and more mindful" than alcohol. Healthier? Maybe — the answer depends on how often and how much of either substance you use and in what format. But healthy? We just don’t have as much good data on marijuana as we do on alcohol—but absence of evidence shouldn’t be confused with proof that pot is harmless.
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