| Title: | Lifetime Cannabis Use and Incident Hypertension: The Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) Study |
| Authors: | Jamie Corroon, Ryan Bradley, Igor Grant, Michael P. Bancks, Julian Jakob, Reto Auer, Jared P. Reis, Norrina Allen, Kuan-Hung Yeh, Matthew A. Allison |
| Year: | 2025 |
| Journal: | Hypertension |
A new study by Drs. Grant and Corroon from the CMCR, using data from the CARDIA study, followed over 4,300 Black and White young adults for 35 years to examine whether cumulative cannabis use increases the risk of developing hypertension. Researchers quantified lifetime exposure as “cannabis-years” (one cannabis-year equals 365 days of use) and applied advanced statistical models to account for changing behaviors and health factors over time.
Despite cannabis’ well-known short-term cardiovascular effects—such as increased heart rate and temporary blood pressure changes—the study found no significant link between long-term cannabis use and incident hypertension. Results were consistent across multiple analyses, including stratifications by sex, race, smoking, and alcohol use, and when recent use was considered.
These findings challenge the assumption that repeated activation of cannabinoid receptor type 1 (CB1R) leads to harmful long-term changes in vascular health. Instead, the data suggest that regular cannabis use, accumulated over decades, may not meaningfully increase hypertension risk.
As cannabis legalization expands and use rises, particularly among older adults, these results provide timely evidence for clinicians and policymakers. However, the authors note that future studies should explore differences by route of use, cannabinoid content, and patterns of consumption, as well as integrate biomarkers to clarify long-term cardiovascular effects.
Read the full publication here.
Citation: Corroon J, Bradley R, Grant I, Bancks MP, Jakob J, Auer R, Reis JP, Allen N, Yeh KH, Allison MA. Lifetime Cannabis Use and Incident Hypertension: The Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) Study. Hypertension. 2025 Aug 11. doi: 10.1161/HYPERTENSIONAHA.125.25005. PMID: 40785536.