News > Medscape Medical News Marijuana Edible Linked to Myocardial Infarction Batya Swift Yasgur MA, LSW February 15, 2019 marijuana might have adverse cardiac effects, especially in older individuals with a history of cardiac disorders, a case report suggests. Two Canadian physicians report the case of a 70-year-old man with stable coronary artery disease (CAD), who consumed a lollipop containing a large quantity of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) to relieve pain and aid sleep. The patient subsequently presented to the emergency department (ED) with hallucinations and cardiac symptoms, and was eventually diagnosed with non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction (MI), successfully treated, and discharged. "One of the reasons we published this case report is that we don't have a whole lot of data on what marijuana does to people with CAD," Alexandra Saunders, MD, Dalhousie University Internal Medicine Program, and Horizon Health Network, Department of Cardiology, Saint John, New Brunswick, told theheart.org | Medscape Cardiology. "Some case reports have looked at young men and at established users rather than a marijuana-naïve person," but the current report highlights concerns about the impact on older adults as well as people with CAD, she said. The report was published online February 11 in the Canadian Journal of Cardiology. "Pan–North American Experience" Marijuana is becoming increasingly popular as widespread legalization makes it both more accessible and more acceptable, and marijuana use on the rise in all age groups, including the elderly. Legalization of marijuana and the resulting confusion this might cause for clinicians in how to guide patients is a "pan–North American experience," said coauthor Robert S. Stevenson, MD, Horizon Health Network, Department of Cardiology. "What prompted this case report was that, as a cardiologist, I felt flat-footed when I was in the ED and this patient with established coronary disease presented and, as the details unfolded, I realized I wasn't familiar with the impact of marijuana on this population," he told theheart.org | Medscape Cardiology. "With the legalization of marijuana in Canada, I realized we'll be seeing much more of this," he said. Saunders agreed, stating that she recently completed a rheumatology rotation and was "really surprised at the number of older people — perhaps as many as 75% of patients on any given day — who would never have even considered the idea of marijuana and were now asking if they could use it for pain." She noted that many older people with arthritis do not find current agents sufficient for pain management and many are considering marijuana as an alternative. Additional reasons beyond pain that older adults turn to marijuana often are to alleviate insomnia and anxiety.
