Heavy cannabis use significantly raises the risk of cardiovascular disease mortality in women, while no such association was found in men, according to a study.
The recent cohort study published in JAMA Network Open examined the association between heavy lifetime cannabis use and mortality, with a focus on sex-specific outcomes. The study utilized data from 121,895 participants (54.51% female, 45.49% male) in the UK Biobank, monitored for mortality from 2006 to 2020. Cannabis use was self-reported and categorized into never, low, moderate, and heavy users.
Key findings demonstrated that among females, heavy cannabis users had a significantly higher risk of cardiovascular disease mortality compared to never users, with a hazard ratio (HR) of 2.67 (95% CI, 1.19-4.32). This association was not observed among males (HR, 0.98; 95% CI, 0.43-2.25). Furthermore, no significant association was found between heavy cannabis use and all-cause mortality in females (HR, 1.49; 95% CI, 0.92-2.40) or males (HR, 1.28; 95% CI, 0.90-1.81), nor between heavy cannabis use and cancer mortality in females (HR, 1.61; 95% CI, 0.91-2.83) or males (HR, 1.09; 95% CI, 0.71-1.67).
"The use of cannabis for medical purposes is rapidly expanding, yet our understanding of its safety and effectiveness for different medical conditions remains limited," noted researchers. "There is a crucial need to assess the risks of all-cause mortality and its specific underlying causes in association with cannabis use among general populations."
They called for further longitudinal studies to explore the associations in their findings in broader populations, emphasizing the need for sex-specific considerations in cannabis-related health research.
No conflicts of interest were reported by the researchers.