Cannabis has been dubbed 'the new tobacco' by doctors after a raft of new research revealed it is as damaging to the heart as smoking cigarettes.
In regular users, the drug was found to increase blood pressure and heart rate significantly in a similar way that heavy smoking does, according to the results of one study.
In the trial, scientists in Canada – where recreational use is legal – gave 21 otherwise healthy volunteers who smoked cannabis frequently a 'vape' containing the drug.
A single session of inhaling it was enough to alter the part of nervous system responsible for blood pressure and pulse, according to scans.
The changes could be enough to increase the risk of a heart attack in less healthy patients, they warned.
New Jersey-based cardiologist Dr Abbas Alshami, who has been involved in the research, said: 'When the tobacco industry first began, we didn't know the damage smoking caused.
'It was only once it was in widespread use that we started seeing the health consequences, and acted to try to limit it. Unfortunately, millions of people died avoidable deaths before that happened.
'I feel like we are going through the same thing with cannabis now. We're alarmed by what we're seeing, and would like to see much tougher restrictions reimposed. Many people here [in the US] have no idea the cannabis is harmful but, clearly, it is.'
In another study, American researchers examined almost 35 million hospital admission records.
It found that the odds of cannabis users developing acute coronary syndrome – an umbrella term for conditions in which the blood supply to the heart becomes compromised, including heart attacks and angina – was the same as for heavy cigarette smokers.
Other research found older cannabis users who had common conditions such as chronic kidney disease, which affects 3.5 million Britons, were more likely to suffer heart attacks than those who didn't touch the drug, and over-60s who used it were also more likely to have a stroke.
American Heart Association medicines expert Professor Robert Page said he believed cannabis was 'absolutely the new tobacco' in terms of heart risk.
He said: 'Cannabis is a psychotropic drug that not only has an impact on the brain but also the nervous system, so what we're seeing in these studies makes a lot of sense.
'The worry is that we're observing an increased risk of heart attacks and strokes even in younger adults, who are the biggest recreational users of cannabis. This is a huge signal that warrants more research.'
Recreational cannabis use is legal in 19 US states. However, it remains illegal for recreational purposes in the UK.
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