A closer look at the headline scare “Weed smoking causes heart attacks”

Every now and then I hear of a new “dangerous aspect” of cannabis smoking, whether it’s shrinking your brain or increasing your risk of going insane – these reports have been circulating since the ban began.

Today we’re talking about the latest “SCARE STUDY,” in which researchers claim that smoking cannabis as young adults nearly doubles the risk of heart attacks.

That’s right – according to this article on CNN – the science is clear and if you are a young adult you can have a heart attack. Unless the science isn’t clear, and if you drill through this study long enough – it dissolves pretty easily.

Today I take the old magnifying glass and look at the processes and conclusions of the research team and compare them to reality. We’ll also ask some questions along the way.

So buckle up, let’s get ready to debunk nonsense!

How was the study conducted?

The “cross-sectional study” – an observational study that analyzes data from a specific population at a specific point in time.

The main problem with cross-sectional studies is that the way you phrase the question greatly affects the results. The parameters you choose for testing also play a big role.

That means, with a cross-sectional study you can literally prove that heavy metal can lead to increased suicidal tendencies. You can also frame it so that the opposite is true.

This is one of the first things we need to address before delving into the “science” behind the study.

Second, the study was published in the Journal of the Canadian Medical Association by Canadian researchers using data from the United States.

This is a red flag as Canada has had legal cannabis for years and may have empirical data, but the study chose to use information from the CDC instead.

That’s what the study says;

We conducted a cross-sectional study using pooled data from the 2017 and 2018 cohorts of the American Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System survey among US adults. We analyzed the association between recent cannabis use and a history of MI using a weighted logistic regression model that took into account demographic factors, socio-economic factors, health-related behavior, concomitant substance use, and other comorbidities. We also assessed this association after stratifying it by frequency of use and primary method of use. – SOURCE

Essentially, they were taking some data, making measurements they thought were important, and doing fancy math. Their confidence level is 95%, which means their results can fluctuate if someone tries to replicate – say, with actual empirical evidence.

What did you find?

According to the researchers, their data show that “young adults” – classified as people between the ages of 18 and 44 (WTF?) – are 1.3 times more likely to have a heart attack if they smoke up to four times a month.

That age group got me thinking?

Are 18 Year Old And 44 Year Old Hearts The Same? Why did you include such a broad section of the population in your calculations? Would they have the same results if they were 18-21 year olds? 21-30 years old? 30-40 years old?

However, the number of these elements is not important. The 18 year old heart and 44 year old heart are exactly the same and after eliminating all other comorbidities they came to this conclusion.

If the study contradicts itself!

CNN reported that this study is “true” and is now being used by lawmakers to assess the potential risks of cannabis. Except in the study itself – buried in the interpretation area, you will find this jewel …

Although heavy cannabis use has been reported to induce acute myocardial infarction (MI), the current evidence is limited to case-control studies that are prone to bias and studies that rely solely on administrative data.

In other words, they’re relying on data that doesn’t tell them the whole picture. I’m not saying cannabis has no cardiovascular effects – to say that would be unscientific.

However, drawing conclusions about administrative data is also not scientific. Though they used complex math to come to their conclusions.

Why do we need better studies?

It seems to me that there are still a lot of studies trying to boost the harms of cannabis, and while this is not necessarily a “bad” thing, there need to be equivalent studies looking at other aspects of cannabis.

If you are constantly looking for the pathological ill effects of everything – you will find it. Especially when you know how to mess around with statistical prevalence.

Right now you are going to start talking to people about the inherent risks of cannabis and cardiovascular health based on this study that will influence the international discourse on legalization. This affects how we legalize and is disingenuous to the truth behind the plant.

Because of these studies, Prohibition has been able to thrive for so long. They claim that these guidelines are designed to protect us – but what we need is not protection, but adequate education.

Everything carries an inherent risk. Water in the right amount gives you life sustaining hydration – however, if you ingest too much water you will be deprived of all of your nutrients, which will end up with some serious physiological consequences.

However, the fact that water has this inherent risk does not mean that we are restricting people or letting the government dictate how much we should or should not drink.

Likewise, we need in-depth studies to educate ourselves about our consumption, and it is time to end the grants for those flimsy studies that have no real value other than saying, “We need more research!”

As citizens, who often use our taxpayers’ money to fund these studies, it is imperative that we scrutinize these types of grants – ask yourself whether the money we spend on our intelligence is actually doing its job or not.

For now, the study has far too many factors that will alter the results for it not to be taken seriously at all.

CANNABIS AND HEALTH HEALTH, READ MORE …

CANNABIS AND HEALTH HEALTH THE LATEST STUDIES SAY!

OR..

CANNABIS FOR PATIENTS WITH A HEART ATTACK BRINGS INTO MOMENTUM!