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(CNN) - You may like to smoke marijuana, but it's not good for your heart, according to the new scientific statement from the American Heart Association on marijuana.
"The American Heart Association recommends that people do not smoke or vape any substance, including cannabis products, due to potential damage to the heart, lungs and blood vessels," said Dr. Rose Marie Robertson, deputy chief scientific officer and Medical Association of the American Heart Association, in a statement.
The new scientific statement, published Wednesday in the AHA's Circulation magazine, examined existing research on the connection between cannabis and the heart.
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The statement states that marijuana use has "the potential to interfere with prescription medications," as well as "trigger cardiovascular disease or events, such as heart attacks and strokes," said clinical pharmacologist Robert Page II, who chaired the group on medical wording for the statement.
Anyone planning to use marijuana should first discuss the potential risks with their healthcare professional, said Page, who is a professor in the Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences department of clinical pharmacy and physical medicine and rehabilitation. in Aurora, Colorado.
"If people choose to use cannabis for its medicinal or recreational effects, the oral and topical forms, for which doses can be measured, can reduce some of the potential harm," Page said in a statement.
"It is also vitally important that people only use legal cannabis products because there are no controls on the quality or content of cannabis products sold on the street," he added.
Cardiac complications
Some of the studies analyzed by the medical group found abnormalities in the heart rhythm, such as tachycardia and atrial fibrillation, which can occur within one hour after smoking marijuana that contains THC. THC, or tetrahydrocannabinol, is the psychoactive substance within marijuana that has psychotropic effects.
Tetrahydrocannabinol can also cause a faster heart rate, increase the heart's need for oxygen, disrupt the artery walls, and contribute to higher blood pressure while prone, according to other studies.
"Cannabis smoke contains components similar to tobacco smoke," Page said, and studies show tobacco-like increases in the carbon monoxide and tar in the blood of a marijuana smoker after smoking marijuana, regardless of the content of THC.
Chest pain, heart attacks, heart rhythm disturbances and other serious heart conditions are associated with carbon monoxide poisoning from tobacco and marijuana, according to the statement.
For anyone with existing heart disease, the risks increase. Herb smoking has triggered heart attacks, an increased risk of stroke and heart failure in people with underlying heart disease, studies show.
In comparison, CBD, or cannabidiol, one of the other 80 chemicals in cannabis, has no psychotropic effects typically associated with THC. It also does not appear to harm the heart.
In fact, studies reviewed by the medical group showed possible links to lower blood pressure, a reduced heart rate, and less inflammation, which is the underlying culprit for narrowing of the arteries that can lead to heart disease and stroke.
However, despite the hundreds of products currently sold both in stores and on the Internet, there is only one CBD-derived product approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the group wrote.
'Urgent' need for in-depth research
There's a caveat to all of these research findings: Existing studies on marijuana and the heart are "observational, retrospective, short-term studies that identify trends but don't prove cause and effect," Page said.
There is an "urgent" need for "carefully designed short and long-term prospective studies of cannabis use and cardiovascular safety," added Page.
But that's difficult to do in today's climate, because marijuana is classified as a Schedule I controlled substance by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency and dramatically limits research, and the DEA should remove those restrictions so that Scientists can better study the effects of marijuana, the group advised.
Additionally, the medical group recommended that cannabis be part of the tobacco control and prevention efforts of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, which may mean there would be age restrictions on who can buy weed, retail regulations and even special taxes.
The American Heart Association is reviewing the scientific statement and will release new policy updates in the coming weeks, according to Michelle Kirkwood, AHA spokeswoman.
A cannabinoid, the new popular ingredient in US gastronomy 2:50"The public needs valid, fact-based scientific information on the effect of cannabis on the heart and blood vessels," Page said.
"Research funding at the federal and state levels should be increased to coincide with the expansion of cannabis use, to clarify the potential therapeutic properties and to help us better understand the cardiovascular and public health implications of frequent cannabis use."
Marijuana heart problems
