Cannabis and the Cardiovascular System
Abstract
Though the primary target of addictive psychoactive substances is the brain, the heart does not always remain unmolested. It may become involved directly, as in alcohol cardiomyopathy, or indirectly, as in bacterial endocarditis of heroin addicts. Evidence is accumulating that even marihuana, which causes no apparent cardiac distress, does not spare the heart.
In a study of cardiovascular effects of marihuana, Beaconsfield and co-workers1 observed the responses of six nonaddicts to smoking...