Recreational Marijuana Use and Acute Ischemic Stroke: A Population-Based Analysis of Hospitalized Patients in the United States

Recreational use of marijuana is associated with increase in hospital admissions for acute ischemic stroke.

This study assessed how recreational marijuana use influences the rate of stroke-related hospitalizations in the United States. Researchers compared the number of hospitalizations for acute ischemic stroke between users and non-users of marijuana from 2004 to 2011. 

The research team discovered that hospitalizations for acute ischemic stroke were 17% higher among marijuana users than in non-users. In addition, the use of cocaine, tobacco, and amphetamine was also found to promote the occurrence of acute ischemic stroke in this study. The data from this study reveal that recreational marijuana use may be a contributing factor to the rising numbers of hospital admissions for acute ischemic stroke in the United States.