[shaunmulok]

Heavy marijuana use may increase a person's risk of a heart attack or stroke, US government researchers say; activists disagree with the findings.

Heavy marijuana use can boost blood levels of a particular protein, perhaps raising a person's risk of a heart attack or stroke, US government researchers say.

Dr Jean Lud Cadet of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, part of the National Institutes of Health, said the findings point to another example of long-term harm from marijuana. But marijuana activists expressed doubt about the findings.

Cadet said a lot of previous research has focused on the effects of marijuana on the brain.

His team looked elsewhere in the body, measuring blood protein levels in 18 long-term, heavy marijuana users and 24 other people who did not use the drug.

Levels of a protein called apolipoprotein C-III were found to be 30 percent higher in the marijuana users compared to the others. This protein is involved in the body's metabolism of triglycerides — a type of fat found in the blood — and higher levels cause increased levels of triglycerides, Cadet added.

High levels of triglycerides can contribute to hardening of the arteries or thickening of the artery walls, raising the risk of stroke, heart attack and heart disease.

The study did not look at whether the heavy marijuana users actually had heart disease.

A U.S. group supporting legal sales and regulation of marijuana disputed the findings. Marijuana Policy Project spokesman Bruce Mirken said, for example, the study involved people who were extremely heavy users.


"I think the low end was 78 joints a week. That's 10 or 11 joints a day," Mirken said in a telephone interview.


"We're talking about people who are stoned all the time. We're talking about the marijuana equivalent of the guy in the alley clutching a bottle of cheap wine.



If you do anything to that level of excess, it might well have some untoward effects, whether it's marijuana or wine or broccoli," Mirken added.

For the full story click here.

[!!!]

As always, no mention whether the strain is indica or sativa, or what the cannabinoid levels are in the strain they tried. Worthless study until these very important factors are taken into account.

How are they really scientists if they don't even know what the subjects are smoking exactly?

It would make more sense to have each group try a separate cannabinoid via vaporization and maybe one that smokes joints, to see what exactly causes this issue.

[Haps]

Cannabis use does effect the heart and blood pressure, but will not cause a heart attack. I toked up the morning before I went in for my heart surgery, while I was having a heart attack, no worries, so no fucking expert is telling me shit, especially when they draw and publish conclusions then admit they did not check the study participants for actual heart disease. Pure horsecrap.

Hazes will fuck your bp up if you have heart disease, but you will get to feeling bad and stop toking before it kills ya, trust me.
H

[SeniorBuzz]

which reminds me that I should probably be checking my blood pressure now that I am vaporizing on a regular basis

I take 3 BP medications

if anything was going to catch up with me now........

[vta]

Originally Posted by SeniorBuzz

which reminds me that I should probably be checking my blood pressure now that I am vaporizing on a regular basis

I take 3 BP medications

if anything was going to catch up with me now........

Check it when your medicated and when your not, morning, mid day and nite...I bet you get different readings, take that info and consider the times you take the pb meds...then you will be better able to figure out a plan to keep it low.

[superbolan]

11 joints a day? that reminds of the study that said diet sodas made you fat, of course fat people drink diet sodas more than thin people so duh. I had a friend who did research for the government and they told them before they did a study what they wanted to prove. More weapons of mass distraction from politrickans

November approaches... lets refine the public "education".

Give the appearance of science that reinforces that real American studies are being conducted....

Moms all filed this away to lecture one more of the evils of the "Devil Weed".

Mom is the key voter that will be "educated".

[treewizard]

Wow 18 whole subjects and they didn't even bother with looking at actual heart attack and stroke #'s in the heavy Cannabis using population. That's some really strong science!

[Leon Brooks]

tax dollars at work.

GO AMERICA!!!!

[superbolan]

and they were they tobacco smokers as well? are there families genetically predisposed to these issues, thats not a study is an advertorial