Heart doctor shares worrying 'truth' to anyone that smokes weed
As people are starting to discover the side effects of regular cannabis use one heart doctor has now shared the worrying truth about smoking weed.
While marijuana has long been thought of as one of the safer drugs in the world, considering its legality in many US states and its Class B status in the UK, overuse could potentially lead to some serious health issues.
Ensuring that the cannabis you've procured is safe is perhaps the first step, especially after a 25-year-old died in the US from smoking a joint he thought was weed but was actually laced with fentanyl.
Like any other drug, it's about understanding your limits and ensuring you don't become addicted, as we've seen reports in recent months about a new 'scromiting' side effects which leaves people screaming and vomiting simultaneously.
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Its official terminology is 'cannabis hyperemesis syndrome' (CHS), and it can also lead to terrible stomach pain and can affect regular cannabis smokers multiple times a year.
Smoking cannabis on a regular basis has also been linked to cognitive decline in the past, so it's easy to see why people might want to avoid becoming addicted, but it is still the most used and widespread illegal drug around the world.
And now, a cardiologist from the US has suggested that it could also have a dangerous impact on your heart health, as well as the obvious risks to your lungs that smoking can bring.
Speaking on a YouTube short, Dr Jeremy London said: "Let's all agree on one thing that the lungs have one simple function, and that's to bring air into and out of your lungs. Anything else is potentially harmful. And I hear all the time, marijuana must be safe because it's natural. But here's the truth.
"Smoking marijuana regularly increases your risk of coronary disease and acute heart attack by 1.3 to two times those that don't smoke marijuana regularly. That's the same increased risk as high blood pressure or increased cholesterol."
Given that the doctor has also suffered a heart attack of his own, previously sharing the mistakes he made when it came to identifying it, you have to trust that his experience and knowledge is sound.
He added: "Now, I have operated on multiple patients over the years that smoke marijuana regularly and I can tell you that their lungs are totally blackened. It looks like they've worked in a coal mine and they've got such severe blockages that I have to do bypass surgery.
"And these are folks that have never smoked a cigarette in their lives and they all say the same thing. 'I thought it was safe'.
"What's important to me is that you know the inherent risk."
Naturally, there are risks involved when you take any drug but this might just put you off a substance you previously thought was safe.
James Moorhouse