Marijuana and Heart Health

Health Wellness

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In 2014, Obama and his administration decriminalized some non-violent drug offenses, freeing thousands of men and women who had been convicted of the crimes.

Other Democrats, began pushing state laws to legalize the use of marijuana. The overlying argument is that marijuana is not harmful and poses little to no danger to society if more people are allowed to use it for recreational purposes. They say it’s not that much different than using alcohol. They ignore the fact that that alcohol accounted for 88,000 deaths from 2006 to 2010 alone. Many of those who died, were about 30-years younger than the average lifespan in the United States. Excessive drinking has been linked to the cause of death of 1 of every 10 people between the ages of 20 and 64, in 2010. In 2015, 29% of traffic deaths (10,265) were due to alcohol impairment. In 2015, 16% of children killed in traffic accidents were killed due to alcohol impaired drivers. The number of alcohol related traffic accidents numbered in the many thousands, costing insurance companies millions of dollars, not say how many thousands of people who are injured in alcohol related traffic accidents, but survive. Some are injured for life and never fully recover.

When I was 19, I lost my three best friends in an auto accident when another driver who was drunk, speeding and ran a red light, hitting them broadside.

Marijuana advocates ignore all of this and continue to say that using marijuana is NOT harmful to anyone’s health.

Did you know that states that legalized recreational use of marijuana have seen large increases in the number of emergency room and urgent care visits? The regular use of marijuana has been resulting in a medical condition that can be serious if not immediately treated. This condition is characterized by severe abdominal pain and violent vomiting and is known as cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome.

But what about the medicinal benefits of marijuana? It is true that there are some medical benefits for some with certain cancers, epilepsy, PTSD and other medical conditions and illnesses, but what effect does marijuana use have on the heart?

A recent study, of a number of studies, says the jury is still out on whether or not marijuana use has any effect on the heart. Some of the studies indicated little to no effect, but some did.

“A large report published in 2017 from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine reviewed the health effects of marijuana and concluded that ‘more research is needed to determine whether and how cannabis use is associated with heart attack, stroke and diabetes.’ That report also found some evidence to suggest that smoking pot may trigger a heart attack.”

There are more studies that say there is no harmful effect on heart health from the use of marijuana, but there are some that say there is. Don’t forget that many say there is no danger of using marijuana, but tell that to ER staff and to those who have had loved ones injured or killed in marijuana caused accidents.

Heart Health marijuana

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