Danish Study Raises Questions About Cannabis and Heart Problems

A new study out of Denmark isn’t going to sit well with medical cannabis advocates in the U.S. Why? Because it shows a definitive link between chronic cannabis use and potential heart problems. This is a major study, by the way, accounting for data on some 1.6 million patients.

For the record, the study in no way suggests that medical cannabis users are at a higher risk of sudden death as a result of the medical choices. It simply shows a link between cannabis use and heart rhythm abnormalities.

More About the Study

As previously mentioned, Danish researchers poured over data relating to 1.6 million patients suffering from chronic pain. Among them were approximately 5,000 who were given medical cannabis prescriptions. Researchers followed these patients for three years.

At the 3-year point, they discovered that the medical cannabis patients were 74% more likely to have developed arrhythmia, which is an abnormal heart rhythm. It can contribute to serious conditions like stroke and cardiac arrest. Arrhythmia can lead to sudden cardiac death.

Again, this does not mean that medical cannabis users are more likely to die of cardiovascular conditions. Furthermore, the actual risk in real terms may be negligible. It is possible that the elevated risk found by the Danish researchers has something to do with other prescription medications.

A Potential Negative Interaction

We already know that all sorts of prescription medications interact with one another. Sometimes those interactions are negative. In the case of the Danish study, researchers found that many of the subjects in their medical cannabis group were also taking painkillers or epilepsy drugs.

This is important for the simple fact that medical cannabis itself may not be the sole cause of the link found between it and increased risk of arrhythmia. Researchers say it could be the combination of cannabis and those other drugs that elevates the risk. Further research needs to be done on this particular aspect.

If it turns out that a negative interaction between cannabis and other drugs is the real problem here, it is a problem that can be managed by physicians through their prescription choices. It’s no different than managing other medications that don’t work well together.

Patients and Doctors Should Decide

Regardless of what future research discloses, the choice to use medical cannabis should be up to patients and doctors to decide together. Including a pharmacist in the discussion would obviously be a good idea as well.

The thing about cannabis is that, like most medicines, it is not talked a lot about in medical school. Medical students learn about biology, physiology, and anatomy. They do not learn a lot about individual drugs. The pharmacist does.

At Deseret Wellness in Provo, UT, they are required to have a pharmacist on site whenever the pharmacy is open. State law recognizes that pharmacists are the experts in drugs and how they affect the human body. They are the most qualified to help Utah patients figure out the best ways to use medical cannabis.

Comparisons to Other Medications

Should further research prove that cannabis is responsible for increasing arrhythmia risk, that still doesn’t mean we should move to outlaw the drug once again. Rather, we should compare cannabis to other medications for treating the same conditions.

Used under the supervision of trained physicians and pharmacists, medical cannabis could still be a better option for some patients than other medications. It is important that we keep this in mind as research broadens our understanding of cannabis and its use as a prescription medication. No medication is perfect. We need to remember that.