Use of Medical Cannabis Linked to Increased Risk of Arrhythmia, Acute Coronary Syndrome

Using medical cannabis for chronic pain management could put patients at risk for developing arrhythmia and acute coronary syndrome, a new study reports. The study comes out of Denmark, which is one of more than 40 countries worldwide that has legalized the use of medical cannabis for adult use. Researchers recruited 5,391 individuals experiencing chronic pain who had never before used cannabis. Their pain symptoms stemmed from arthritis, back issues, slipped discs, complicated fractures, cancer, neurological diseases, headaches, and other unspecified pain diagnoses. Just under two-thirds of the patients were women (63.2 percent), and the average age of the participants was 59 years old. Many had experience taking NSAIDs, opioids, anti-epileptics and antidepressants to deal with their pain. Some also took beta-blockers and antihypertensive drugs....