A study involving nearly 450,000 U.S. adults found an association between cannabis use and higher odds of stroke and cardiovascular disease. The results are due to be presented at the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions in Chicago, Nov. 6–9, 2026.
Researchers examined survey data gathered from 2020 to 2024 through the CDC’s Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System. Compared with people who did not use cannabis, those who used it one to five days a month had 23% higher odds of reporting a history of cardiovascular disease. For people who used cannabis 16 to 30 days a month, the odds were 21% higher.
The pattern for stroke was less straightforward. Participants who used cannabis one to five days per month had 40% higher odds of reporting a previous stroke, while those who used it most days had 25% higher odds. Researchers did not find a statistically significant association with heart attacks.
Dr. Kristen “Nicke” Worth, an Ohio physician and medical adviser at NuggMD, said the results raise questions about cannabis and cardiovascular health, especially stroke. Worth was not involved in the research. She noted that the higher reported stroke odds among occasional users were unexpected, but said the finding should not be taken to mean that heavier use is safer.
The researchers also found that the association did not appear to differ by how cannabis was taken. Smoking, vaping and consuming edibles were all linked to similar results.
Lead researcher Dr. Aabha Divya, an assistant professor of cardiothoracic surgery at Tulane University School of Medicine, said the team had expected heart disease odds to rise steadily with more frequent use. Instead, both occasional and heavy users had higher odds.
The findings come as cannabis use has become more common. The research team reported that about one in six adults said they had used cannabis in the past month in 2024, compared with one in 10 in 2020, an increase of 51% over four years.
Dr. Robert L. Page II, a University of Colorado clinical pharmacy professor and American Heart Association volunteer expert who was not part of the study, said the results challenge the idea that cannabis is harmless to the heart. He said clinicians should ask patients about cannabis use, as they do about tobacco and alcohol.
The study has important limits. It was observational and based on data collected at one point in time, so it cannot establish that cannabis use causes strokes or heart disease. The information came from telephone surveys, which may be affected by errors in people’s recollections. Researchers also did not measure product strength, THC potency or the total amount participants used.
The findings are preliminary and have not yet completed the full peer-review process. Worth advised patients not to make sudden treatment changes based on the study, and specifically cautioned against stopping prescribed heart medications. She said people who use cannabis should discuss their cardiovascular history, other risk factors, medications and treatment options with a healthcare professional.
