In spite of federal law, states across the country have enacted measures legalizing marijuana, and public opinion polling suggests many Americans do not think marijuana is as dangerous as other substances. But research continues to show marijuana is harmful.
Researchers at the University of Cambridge released a study this month that demonstrates marijuana use raises a person’s risk of stroke by 37%. The the results were based on health data from more than 100 million participants in multiple studies over the course of several years.
Unfortunately, marijuana has been found time and again to pose serious health hazards.
THC — the main psychoactive substance in marijuana — has been tied again and again to everything from heart disease and cancer to stroke, mental illness, and birth defects.
In fact, researchers now say marijuana use doubles a person’s risk of death from heart disease.
Heavy marijuana use has also been linked to reduced brain activity.
A recent study from Columbia University found even “casual” marijuana use is connected to higher rates of depression, anxiety, and impulsive behavior in teenagers, and researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital found teen psychiatric emergencies spiked in the wake of marijuana’s commercialization.
All of this underscores what we have said for years: Marijuana may be many things, but “harmless” simply is not one of them.
Articles appearing on this website are written with the aid of Family Council’s researchers and writers.
