A study published in Frontiers in Cardiovascular Medicine showed that lifetime cannabis use is not associated with a higher risk of hypertension or high blood pressure among older adults. University of California, San Diego researchers assessed the relationship between cannabis consumption and systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), pulse pressure (PP), and hypertension in patients to determine risk levels.
The study included 3,255 older men and women aged 45-84. Participants did not have clinical cardiovascular disease (CVD) at the time of study enrollment. The research team recruited participants from 2000 to 2002 in six US field centers. The researchers analyzed data from the prospective cohort study called the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA). Participants represented four race/ethnic groups: Caucasian (38%), African American (28%), Hispanic American (22%), and Chinese American (12%). Participants reported a history of consuming cannabis at least once a month.
The researchers used fully adjusted ANCOVA models to compare patients with a history of regular cannabis smoking to those with no cannabis use history. Data analysis also found no significant association between cannabis and increased SBP, DBP, PP, or hypertension. Model analysis assessing potential interactions between regular consumption sex, age, race/ethnicity, and tobacco use status did not point to any significant associations for either BP or hypertension.
The UCSD team conducted prior research on cannabis use risks for atherosclerotic disease and found that chronic cannabis users are not at greater risk for atherosclerotic disease in later adult years. Previous cannabis and hypertension research also reported a lack of association between cannabis use and hypertension. The findings have significant implications for medical cannabis policy and practice that require further research attention.
Sources: Frontiers in Cardiovascular Medicine, NORML, NORML