Smoking marijuana may cause heart complications

A new study has found that both young middle-aged people that smoke pot have a slight increased risk for heart-related illness/complications. This study was published in the Journal of the American Heart Association.

According to CBS News, 2 percent of health problems that were linked to marijuana use were heart-related and a quarter of those cases ended in death.

"This result is consistent with previous findings and strengthens the idea that cannabis may be responsible for serious complications, in particular on the cardiovascular system," wrote the authors. "Cannabis may trigger cardiovascular complications and therefore should be regarded as so by health practitioners and by users, who often admit the dangers of drugs like cocaine and amphetamines but minimize that of cannabis."

HealthDay reported that the study found that during the five years that the study took place, heart disease in marijuana abusers tripled.

Those who advocate for marijuana use say that the findings will appear weak because the percentages of those with heart problems is so small. There is no control group in this study, simply those who take/smoke marijuana.

Dr. Martha Daviglus recognized that the study does, indeed, have flaws. "We need to gain more evidence, as we did with alcohol or tobacco smoking, so people understand the risks of using these substances," Daviglus said.

The study followed almost 2,000 people and 35 were found to have heart problems.