Background: In a cross-sectional study using data from Exam 6 (2016–2018) in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA), a prospective cohort study of men and women aged 45–84 years who were free of clinical cardiovascular disease (CVD) at the time of study enrollment (n = 6,814), CMCR investigators Dr. Jamie Corroon and Igor Grant, along with other UCSD researchers Drs. Ryan Bradley and Matt Allison, studied the relationship between regular cannabis smoking and calcified plaque in the carotid arteries.

Results: The study sample included 2,152 participants, 7.4% (n = 159) of whom reported a history of regular cannabis smoking of at least once per month. The average age was 74 years, with an almost equal distribution across sexes. Non-Hispanic White participants comprised the largest portion of the sample (38.4%). Among all participants, 36.1% (n = 777) had detectable calcified plaque in their carotid arteries (CAC: Carotid Artery Calcium).

No associations were found between a history of regular cannabis smoking (yes/no), the duration of regular cannabis smoking, or recency of smoking (past month), and the presence or extent of calcified plaque in carotid arteries, as measured by plaque volume, density, and Agatston score, a validated measure of the quantity of calcified plaque based on a CT scan.

These findings were consistent across age, race/ethnicity, and cigarette smoking, except for an increased prevalence in men with a history of regular cannabis smoking.

Similarly, in a subgroup with CAC, no association was found between a history of regular cannabis smoking and extent of calcification as measured by volume, density, and Agatston score.

Conclusions: In a racially and ethnically diverse cohort of older adults with a moderately high prevalence of CAC, no associations were found between a history of regular cannabis smoking, duration, or recency of cannabis smoking, and the prevalence of carotid calcified plaque. These findings were consistent across age, race/ethnicity, and cigarette smoking, except for an increased prevalence in men with a history of regular cannabis smoking. Similarly, in a subgroup with CAC, no association was found between a history of regular cannabis smoking and extent of calcification as measured by volume, density, and Agatston score.

Read the full study here.

Citation: Corroon J, Bradley R, Grant I, et al. Regular cannabis smoking and carotid artery calcification in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA). Vascular Medicine. 2024;0(0). doi:10.1177/1358863X241287690