Mar 18, 2025 08:14 PM
(This post was last modified: Mar 18, 2025 08:38 PM by C C.)
Cannabis users face substantially higher risk of heart attack
https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1077168
INTRO: Marijuana is now legal in many places, but is it safe? Two new studies add to mounting evidence that people who use cannabis are more likely to suffer a heart attack than people who do not use the drug, even among younger and otherwise healthy adults. The findings are from a retrospective study of over 4.6 million people published in JACC Advances and a meta-analysis of 12 previously published studies being presented at the American College of Cardiology’s Annual Scientific Session (ACC.25).
Marijuana use has risen in the United States, especially in states where it is legal to buy, sell and use the drug recreationally. In the retrospective study, researchers found that cannabis users younger than age 50 were over six times as likely to suffer a heart attack compared to non-users. The meta-analysis, which is the largest pooled study to date examining heart attacks and cannabis use, showed a 50% increased risk among those who used the drug.
“Asking about cannabis use should be part of clinicians’ workup to understand patients’ overall cardiovascular risk, similar to asking about smoking cigarettes,” said Ibrahim Kamel, MD, clinical instructor at the Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine and internal medicine resident at St. Elizabeth Medical Center in Boston and the study’s lead author. “At a policy level, a fair warning should be made so that the people who are consuming cannabis know that there are risks.”
Kamel and his team conducted the retrospective study using data from TriNetX, a global health research network that provides access to electronic medical records. Their findings indicate that over an average follow-up of over three years, cannabis users had more than a sixfold increased risk of heart attack, fourfold increased risk of ischemic stroke, twofold increased risk of heart failure and threefold increased risk of cardiovascular death, heart attack or stroke. All study participants were younger than age 50 and free of significant cardiovascular comorbidities at baseline, with blood pressure and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels within a healthy range and no diabetes, tobacco use or prior coronary artery disease... (MORE - details, no ads)
UK pharmacies threaten to cut hours unless NHS provides ‘new and sufficient’ funding
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/europe/uk-pharm...ng/3513464
NEWS: The National Pharmacy Association (NPA) on Tuesday recommended collective action for the first time in its history, advising independent pharmacies in England to reduce their opening hours amid a row over funding. The NPA stated it had "been left with little choice" but to recommend its 6,000 members take collective action, unless the government provides “new and sufficient” funding to cover significant new costs.
Currently, about 90% of an average pharmacy’s work is funded via the NHS, including dispensing medication and providing vaccinations. However, the NPA, which represents these community pharmacies, highlighted that its members have yet to receive any confirmation of funding for the 2024-25 or 2025-26 financial years.
It warned that increases in employers’ national insurance rates, the national living wage, and business rates from April, combined with the ongoing uncertainty regarding funding, could "jeopardize patient safety."
"Pharmacies have seen around a 40% cut to this funding in real terms since 2017, forcing record numbers to close. 29 have shut since the beginning of the year, with around 1,300 pharmacies shutting since 2017," NPA said.
Individual pharmacies would need to give five weeks’ notice to the NHS before reducing any services. The proposed action could result in fewer independent pharmacies being open in the evenings and at weekends, halting free home deliveries, or withdrawing services such as emergency contraception, smoking cessation, and addiction support.
https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1077168
INTRO: Marijuana is now legal in many places, but is it safe? Two new studies add to mounting evidence that people who use cannabis are more likely to suffer a heart attack than people who do not use the drug, even among younger and otherwise healthy adults. The findings are from a retrospective study of over 4.6 million people published in JACC Advances and a meta-analysis of 12 previously published studies being presented at the American College of Cardiology’s Annual Scientific Session (ACC.25).
Marijuana use has risen in the United States, especially in states where it is legal to buy, sell and use the drug recreationally. In the retrospective study, researchers found that cannabis users younger than age 50 were over six times as likely to suffer a heart attack compared to non-users. The meta-analysis, which is the largest pooled study to date examining heart attacks and cannabis use, showed a 50% increased risk among those who used the drug.
“Asking about cannabis use should be part of clinicians’ workup to understand patients’ overall cardiovascular risk, similar to asking about smoking cigarettes,” said Ibrahim Kamel, MD, clinical instructor at the Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine and internal medicine resident at St. Elizabeth Medical Center in Boston and the study’s lead author. “At a policy level, a fair warning should be made so that the people who are consuming cannabis know that there are risks.”
Kamel and his team conducted the retrospective study using data from TriNetX, a global health research network that provides access to electronic medical records. Their findings indicate that over an average follow-up of over three years, cannabis users had more than a sixfold increased risk of heart attack, fourfold increased risk of ischemic stroke, twofold increased risk of heart failure and threefold increased risk of cardiovascular death, heart attack or stroke. All study participants were younger than age 50 and free of significant cardiovascular comorbidities at baseline, with blood pressure and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels within a healthy range and no diabetes, tobacco use or prior coronary artery disease... (MORE - details, no ads)
UK pharmacies threaten to cut hours unless NHS provides ‘new and sufficient’ funding
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/europe/uk-pharm...ng/3513464
NEWS: The National Pharmacy Association (NPA) on Tuesday recommended collective action for the first time in its history, advising independent pharmacies in England to reduce their opening hours amid a row over funding. The NPA stated it had "been left with little choice" but to recommend its 6,000 members take collective action, unless the government provides “new and sufficient” funding to cover significant new costs.
Currently, about 90% of an average pharmacy’s work is funded via the NHS, including dispensing medication and providing vaccinations. However, the NPA, which represents these community pharmacies, highlighted that its members have yet to receive any confirmation of funding for the 2024-25 or 2025-26 financial years.
It warned that increases in employers’ national insurance rates, the national living wage, and business rates from April, combined with the ongoing uncertainty regarding funding, could "jeopardize patient safety."
"Pharmacies have seen around a 40% cut to this funding in real terms since 2017, forcing record numbers to close. 29 have shut since the beginning of the year, with around 1,300 pharmacies shutting since 2017," NPA said.
Individual pharmacies would need to give five weeks’ notice to the NHS before reducing any services. The proposed action could result in fewer independent pharmacies being open in the evenings and at weekends, halting free home deliveries, or withdrawing services such as emergency contraception, smoking cessation, and addiction support.