Doctors warn cannabis use among young may increase stroke risk

Published on Tuesday 22 February 2005 03:34

YOUNG people who use cannabis could be putting themselves at increased risk of a stroke, doctors warned yesterday.

The drug, which was re-classified downwards last year to the concern of police chiefs, has already been linked to behavioural abnormalities and an increased risk of schizophrenia.

The latest warning was issued after a paper in the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry revealed how a 36-year-old cannabis user suffered three strokes.

The patient who was studied was a primary school teacher in Spain who had been an occasional user of cannabis, but had no known risk factors for stroke, did not use other drugs, and drank only occasionally.

The first incident occurred after he had smoked a considerable amount of cannabis combined with three or four drinks at a party. He lost his ability to speak, which was followed, a few hours later, by convulsions.

He suffered another two strokes after again smoking large amounts of the drug, which is now officially a class C substance.

The Spanish researchers, led by Dr Juan Garcia-Monco, said the cardiovascular effects of cannabis - including a rapid heartbeat and excessively high or low blood pressure - were often overlooked.

They said that cannabis also quadrupled the risk of a heart attack within an hour of consumption.

Dr Garcia-Monco and his team wrote: "Cannabis is not as safe a drug as many believe.

"Future studies will be needed to clarify the role of cannabis as a stroke risk factor, as it could be underestimated."

A commentary, also published yesterday in the journal, by Dr Dominique Deplanque, said that the study raised concerns.

It said: "In that recreational cannabis appears not to be as harmless as was thought, there is a need to improve public information."

However, experts warned the study was not conclusive as it was based on a single case.