Marijuana legalization linked to rise in heart-related hospitalizations, study finds

( NewsNation ) — The legalization of marijuana is linked to a rise in heart-related hospitalizations in the United States, a new study finds.

The research, published in BMJ Open , examined hospitalization rates following ballot measures legalizing cannabis in Western states.

An analysis of more than 50 million hospital discharge records found that hospitalizations for serious heart conditions rose faster after legalization. The research examined hospital discharge diagnosis data from 2012 to 2018.

Admission rates were nearly 4 percent higher for heart failure, 3 percent higher for heart attacks and more than 2 percent higher for atrial fibrillation.

Compared with regions that did not change its laws, the analysis showed that the legalization of cannabis sales across the West beginning in 2014 may have contributed to an increase heart-related hospitalization.

According to the researchers, this is the first study to examine the association between recreational cannabis legalization and cardiovascular hospitalizations.

While researchers found a link between the two, they emphasized that “an observational study cannot prove causality.”