By Diana Ling, MA, Senior Program Manager; and Anna Mangum, MSW, MPH, Senior Health Strategist; Health Behavior Research and Training Institute; The University of Texas at Austin School of Social Work
Cannabis use increases the risk for heart attack and stroke, including among young people with no prior history of cardiovascular issues, according to a new study. Researchers analyzed data on 200 million people aged 19 to 59 and found that cannabis users had a 29% higher risk of heart attack and 30% higher risk of stroke compared to nonusers. Cannabis users were also twice as likely to die from cardiovascular disease.
What’s more, a growing body of research links cannabis use during pregnancy with higher risks for stillbirth, preterm birth, and lower birth weight. Cannabis use is also associated with harmful effects on mental health, lung health, and brain function. These findings are concerning given that cannabis use has doubled over the past decade, and challenge the commonly held misperception that cannabis poses no health or other risks.
With cannabis now the most commonly used federally illegal drug in the United States, social workers can play a key role in improving their clients’ health by making conversations about cannabis and other substance use part of routine practice. October is National Substance Use Prevention Month, a call to action for social workers to conduct screening, brief intervention and referral to treatment (SBIRT) with all clients, including those who are pregnant.
NASW, NASW Foundation, and the Health Behavior Research and Training Institute at The University of Texas at Austin School of Social Work are partners in a national initiative to prevent prenatal substance use. Funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders National Partner Network (NPN) includes colleagues in family medicine, pediatrics, and nursing — all working together to promote primary prevention of alcohol- and other substance-exposed pregnancy.
To learn more about the NPN and join our network, please visit our Partner interest page.
Resources
Cannabis Use in Pregnancy (NASW Social Work Talks podcast)
Cannabis: As Drug Becomes More Mainstream, Experts Sound the Alarm About its Dangers (NASW Social Work Advocates)
Cannabis Use During Pregnancy (American Academy of Family Physicians)
Cannabis Use During Pregnancy: What Professionals Working with Pregnant Women Need to Know (National Center on Substance Abuse and Child Welfare)
