Study the Latest Example of Serious Health Impacts Pot Industry Refuses to Acknowledge
Adults with Cannabis Use Disorder Have 60% Higher Risk for First Heart Attack, Stroke, or Other Major Cardiovascular Event
(WASHINGTON, DC) – Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM) President Dr. Kevin Sabet, a former Obama White House drug policy advisor, released the following statement in response to a new study published in Addiction that found “Canadian adults with cannabis use disorder appear to have an approximately 60% higher risk of experiencing incident adverse cardiovascular disease events than those without cannabis use disorder.”
“Like Big Tobacco before it, the marijuana industry has lied for years to spin highly engineered commercial THC drugs and marijuana products into something good. The industry has spent billions telling people that high-potency THC drugs made from marijuana, including edibles, dabs, and waxes, are safe and harmless.
“The medical science continues to prove they are intentionally misleading the public and elected officials. Approximately 1 in 3 users have a marijuana use disorder, with more than 16 million Americans having a marijuana use disorder in 2021.
“In addition to the mental health consequences, users can add cardiac conditions to the list of harms from using these drug products.
“The addiction crisis is not new, but it is clearly getting worse. There are countless data points that clearly demonstrate how the commercialization of marijuana is degrading physical and mental health, public safety, young people, and communities of color.
“As the science continues to be more conclusive on these harms, elected officials cannot hide from the facts that support for the legalization of marijuana is to support harming our population.”