Recent Cannabis Use Tied to Higher Risk of Current Asthma

FRIDAY, Feb. 2, 2024 (HealthDay News) -- There is a dose-response relationship between frequency of current cannabis use and the prevalence of current asthma, according to a study published in the February issue of Preventive Medicine.

Renee D. Goodwin, Ph.D., from City University of New York in New York City, and colleagues used data from the 2020 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (32,893 participants ≥12 years) to estimate the prevalence of asthma by frequency of past 30-day cannabis use.

The researchers found that current asthma was significantly more common among U.S. individuals who reported cannabis use in the past 30 days versus those who did not (9.8 versus 7.4 percent). Among individuals reporting cannabis use 20 to 30 days/month, the odds of asthma were significantly greater (adjusted odds ratio, 1.67). Similar results were seen for blunt use six to 15 and 20 to 30 days/month (adjusted odds ratios, 1.9 and 2.2, respectively) compared to no use. There was a positive linear relationship observed between frequency of cannabis use and blunt use and current asthma prevalence.

“Our findings add a significant layer to the nascent body of research on potential harms associated with cannabis use by being the first to show a link between cannabis use in the community and respiratory health risks, specifically increased asthma prevalence," Goodwin said in a statement.

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