Is Medical Marijuana Good or Bad for Hypertension and High Blood Pressure?

One in four American adults suffers from Hypertension or High Blood Pressure (HBP). The condition is one of the leading causes of premature deaths in adults aged 21 and above. Almost every family across the country has a relative or more afflicted hypertension. High blood pressure causes the heart vessels to be strained, and it can degenerate into a stroke or other debilitating heart diseases if not well managed.

Everyone is at risk of developing hypertension. It doesn't necessarily have to do with stress, and other factors also come into play. In this post, you will have a deeper understanding of what hypertension is, its impact on a person's health, and you'll learn about the relationship between cannabis components and hypertension.

Basics of Hypertension

Hypertension is a condition that develops when the blood pressure of a body is at a high level, causing the heart to beat and pump blood rapidly. When a higher level of force is used to circulate blood around the body, the blood pressure significantly rises.

Hypertension and High Blood Pressure are terms that are commonly used interchangeably. Chronic illnesses like aneurysms, heart attacks, or heart failures often occur due to unnoticed or poorly managed high blood pressures. Cholesterol plays a role in the hardening of the arterites, that can lead to high blood pressure.

In Europe, about 42% of deaths that occur annually can be linked to hypertension, while in America, it is estimated that one-third of the total population are suffering from high blood pressure; a significant percentage of this population is unaware that they have this condition. Africans have the highest rate of deaths linked to high blood pressure. At least 46% of the population on the continent are suffering from the condition.

These figures are on the high side, and you need to guide yourself against this condition. Nothing is better than a healthy life, and hypertension is one major factor that could ruin a healthy, happy life.

Hypertension is incurable and can only be managed. If left untreated, the heart vessels are stressed as the months pass, and at a point, the excess force exerted in these vessels results in other long-term conditions or death.

Relationship Between Hypertension and High Blood Pressure

Medical experts explain that hypertension can be referred to as high blood pressure; however, not all high blood pressure becomes hypertension. High blood pressure develops when a person's BP reads a minimum of 140/90 mmHg. At some point in everyone's life, our BPs have gotten to this point, only to return back to normal after a few minutes.

Strenuous activities like exercising or severe illnesses are one of the many instances when the BP jumps. HBP becomes hypertension when the BP remains at high levels for a longer duration, regardless of the activity being carried out. A publication described it as chronic or irreversible high blood pressure.

Cannabis and Hypertension

The quest to find the precise relationship between cannabis use and hypertension is ongoing in various research laboratories worldwide. While some are looking to determine whether or not cannabis-based drugs can lower blood pressure, others are looking into the impacts of cannabis use on hypertension. This has been broadly classified into two groups.

Short-Term Impact of Cannabis on Hypertension

Two studies have focused on this detail. Both studies made use of rats with hypertensive conditions. All the subjects were injected with THC, and the researchers observed a slight reduction in the animal's blood pressure. This study helps state the hypothesis that THC may be vital in treating chronic HBP. However, it is still too soon to conclude because the researchers stated that the THC injected into the subjects was isolated from the plants.

When you smoke cannabis, you take in all the cannabinoid compounds in the plant. While isolated THC may have been sufficient to cause a positive change in the BP, It is important to note that when cannabis is consumed, there are a group of other cannabinoids that react with THC in the body system.

Other studies noted that less frequent cannabis users usually have a relatively high good pressure some moments after consumption. Using cannabis short-term could also increase your blood pressure and put you at risk of being hypertensive. Further research showed that this phenomenon is due to the vasodilation effect of cannabis in the consumer.

Long-Term Impact of Cannabis On Hypertension

There are limited studies that dwell on this. Most of these studies fail to isolate cannabis use from other factors predisposing consumers to the condition. For example, volunteers could be regular consumers of weed and tobacco products; however, the observations would be linked to weed without because tobacco has already been highlighted as a major cause of hypertension and I.cardiovascular ailments. Recent research in 2019 revealed that marijuana has extremely worrying effects on the cardiovascular system long-term. Many symptoms were traced back to the frequent use of cannabis products.

In 2002, a study indicated that animals and humans do not react the same way to cannabis consumption. In humans, the study observed that cannabis consumption increased the BP and did the exact opposite in animals. This research indicates that findings of cannabis use in animals cannot be projected onto humans.

Lowering Blood Pressure with Cannabis

The available information on this is limited and not sufficient enough to conclude upon. Information on many cannabis strains shows that they receive tension, which can alleviate blood pressure. However, this is only possible if the cause of the increased pressure is environmental factors. This is the only instance when cannabis can lower blood pressure. In other circumstances, cannabis could effectively worsen the problem.

Conclusion

Cannabis legalization is picking up pace at an amazing speed. This means scientists will have more freedom to carry out fundamental and comprehensive studies on the plant. Very soon, we'll be able to categorically state the role cannabis plays in reducing or increasing hypertension. Since it has been revealed that isolated THC and CBD can lower blood pressure, more efforts should be directed at developing useful treatments with isolated cannabinoid compounds to ensure the learning statistics of hypertension around the world is reduced.