Does smoking pot help reduce high blood pressure?

[EvolveOrConvolve]

I had a problem with high blood pressure (I'm only 32), but now have it under control. I cut down on my smoking, started exercising more, and am eating the right foods.

I'm worried now about what happens when I get older. High blood pressure runs in the family, and several family members had hypertension even with active, healthy lifestyles.

So my question to the experts is, does marijuana help lower blood pressure? Is there any clinical research to show what affect pot has on blood pressure? Is there any anecdotal evidence?

[HillDem]

1. Clinical research? Not that i know of

Anecdotal evidence? Hell yeah

[mcscajun]

2. OMG I certainly Hope So.

:)

What a marvelous reason to get high...like we needed another. :)

[Journeyman]

3. Well, get high enough, you just don't care anymore. . .

so yeah, I guess it reduces concern about high blood pressure.

(Truthfully, no idea. Couldn't resist a smartass answer though.)

[NNadir]

4. Marijuana cures every disease, and some we don't even know about.

How do I know?

DU is my doctor.

[acmejack]

5. "How do I know?"

Years of intensive research!

[MsUnderstood]

8. Dude! that was so cool

How you backhandedly refered to the new rules. . .and *hitting the bong* . . .what was I saying?

[Name removed]

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[HeeBGBz]

6. I smoke and I don't have high blood pressure

Therefore I am?

[firefox]

7. I am not a doctor and do not play one on television

High blood pressure is hypertension. One line of thinking would say that some things cause hypertension and if cannabis use could substitute for that use it would help. It may seem like an overreaching statement to say that a lot ofthe pain relievers of the future will be cannabinoids. But start with this where it says popular pain killers can cause high blood pressure- http://cannabisnews.com/news/21/thread21039.shtml#33 There will be all kinds of cannabis based solutions to headaches, migraines, and even those nagging muscle pains, and of course the serious chronic pains too.

Cannabis will absolutely kill rage because of what it does. Research this year says that when nerve cell A is shouting to nerve cell B, cannabis will make nerve cell B tell nerve cell A to tone it down. That is what gets me about the no medical value. Some things are just as immediate as dropping a rock of a cliff to see if it will fall. Cannabis use when hit by rage is an immediate thing, just as it is when a person with MS is in wheelchair and goes into a coffeeshop, burns a few, and walks home to clean the house. It is Willy Nelson that likes to say stress kills and pot kills stress. Only a drug warrior would trouble to argue that.

But if you do a search for cannabis hypertension research you would find that there is research saying cannabis is good for hypertension- http://cannabisnews.com/news/19/thread19689.shtml This is a site specific search with the above three words- http://tinyurl.com/df4re

[EvolveOrConvolve]

11. Thanks for the links, Firefox

Aspirin was actually one of the successful remedies I used to help lower my BP, at least initially. It's not recommended for long term usage because of what it does to the stomach, but dropped my BP (probably because of it's blood-thinning properties) almost immediately. I wonder what the long term affects of aspirin usage would be compared to low level marijuana intake? Hmmmm...

Another contributing factor to my BP was high levels of stress, which I've taken care of (2008 will help even more :) ).

I'll have to mull this over...

[paparush]

9. Pot will, temporarily, raise your BP and your heart rate...

then you mellow into the buzzzzz and ya know....................nothing.......really matters.......what........OMFG!!......shhhhhhh!!!.....mpfpfpfff!!......LMAO!!

[firefox]

10. Can't you take Vioxx for that?

:shrug:

[Name removed]

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[firefox]

12. This article shows how the prohibitionists just cannot keep from lying

It is comment9 that addresses the lie of demonization in the article.

"A vasodilator is a substance that causes blood vessels in the body to become wider by relaxing the smooth muscle in the vessel wall, or vasodilation. This will reduce blood pressure (since there is more room for the blood)

"Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) - the major active chemical in marijuana. Its mild vasodilating effects..." Vasodilator - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vasodilator

[PWRT365]

13. MJ HEART HIGH BP

I have smoked pot for over fifty years and my BP is and has always been in the 120/75-65 range. I am 74 years old and was a commercial pilot until I retired in 1990. Four of my friends from long ago also smoke pot and they are around my age. Today, their BP is about the same as mind. We had three friends who died from heart attacks in the previous twenty years. Two had diabetes They were dead set against pot smoking and were the first to die. James sgtill living, the oldest (79) had two heart attacks in his forties. He started smoking with us and his BP dropped from 210/95-105 to 165/70/55. Those are the facts as I know them for over fifty years. I have just finished my second joint for the day. I have slowed down somewhat.

[Name removed]

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[Mr.ReHi]

17. Marijuana will lower your high blood preasure with the right strain

I have prehypertension in the day time, I'm not over wait. But at night i will consume a little INDICA strain only and my blood
pressure will immediately go down to a very healthy set of numbers.

This is proven every time i go for a night time rehi. i have a blood pressure machine at home and it shows me the differences very clear.. I recently went to the doctor for a physical,, i went after smoking indica strain and sure enough healthy numbers on his equipment.

I can only imagine sativa strain bud will do the opposite,, maybe jack up your pressure. The kush at first will get my heart beat
up but will come down fast if i relax deep.. the blood pressure numbers are low even when my pulse is up from the kush.

Amazing break through!! Marijuana lowers blood pressure without a person having to take those horrible drugs!

drug companies know this, so marijuana is kept demonized politically for the benefit of drug companies who lobby
congress to have strict laws.

[Mr.ReHi]

18. Marijuana does lower high blood pressure,

I have prehypertension in the day time, I'm not over wait. But at night i will consume a little INDICA strain only and my blood
pressure will immediately go down to a very healthy set of numbers.

This is proven every time i go for a night time rehi. i have a blood pressure machine at home and it shows me the differences very clear.. I recently went to the doctor for a physical,, i went after smoking indica strain and sure enough healthy numbers on his equipment.

I can only imagine sativa strain bud will do the opposite,, maybe jack up your pressure. The kush at first will get my heart beat
up but will come down fast if i relax deep.. the blood pressure numbers are low even when my pulse is up from the kush.

Amazing break through!! Marijuana lowers blood pressure without a person having to take those horrible drugs!

drug companies know this, so marijuana is kept demonized politically for the benefit of drug companies who lobby
congress to have strict laws.

[DLine]

19. Speaking from personal experience, I think so...

I can only give my own personal anecdotal evidence. But i am over weight and over stressed. Six years ago I was taking Toprol for high blood pressure. I have long enjoyed cannabis on special occasions when i could get it but was not a regular user. In the past few years I have become more regular in my use, at least 4-6 nights per week. I prefer to use a vaporizer instead of smoking because its easier on the lungs. While I have made a few subtle changes to my lifestyle like trying to eat better which no doubt has helped to lower my blood pressure. I feel the cannabis has helped as well simply because of its ability to make stress just melt away. My blood pressure is normal today and I havent taken medication for it in over 2 years.

[NikRik]

20. everyones reaction B/P wise differant !

I my opinion each person will have a differant reaction when comes to blood pressure and pot use!I have high BP and I find the initial reaction is that my BP will go up.However after a little while I will relax and find that it most likley goes down and stabilizes.Some people get nervous on pot and others find it very relaxing.Either way none of these feelings are extreme or dangerous IMHO
NikRik

[BillyinVirginia]

21. Smoking marijuana DOES lower my blood pressure, SIGNIFICANTLY

I had hypertention and my BP was 50 points too high. I bought a blood
pressure machine, and I monitored my blood pressure throughout the day.
I also had 3 stents put into my heart to correct my high blood pressure.
These stents, AND hypertention medications did LITTLE to lower my BP.
But....WHAT brought my BP all the way DOWN TO NORMAL (120/80) is smoking
marijuana. I check my BP before I smoke, and it is usually at LEAST
30 or 40 points too high. BOTH the systolic and the diastolic pressure
were DANGEROUSLY high. Hypertention runs in my family, and in fact it
killed my father, and all of my grandparents. In my case, the smoking
of marijuana DEFINITELY lowers my BP, and it lowers it quite dramatically. And it also is FUN, and it gives you a MUCH better appetite. This is a MIRACLE drug, and its just sooooooooooooooo sad
that our government spends MILLIONS of dollars to battle marijuana
use. THIS drug should be LEGALIZED, and TAXED, and the DEA should
busy itself removing DANGEROUS DRUGS like cocaine, LSD, Meth Amphetemine and the like from our society. Marijuana is NOT the bad guy.
Marijuana is a naturally occuring substance that when used RESPONSIBLY
can not only improve your MOOD and your appetite, but it can DRAMATICALLY
lower BP. If you have HIGH blood pressure, smoke some POT. IT works!

[RainDog]

22. I don't think you need to ask for medical advice on DU

you should consult with a doctor.

if you are not in a state with medical mj laws, you might be able to contact someone with experience in this subject in a state that does have such laws.

the doctors whose work I have read have noted that individuals react to different things in different ways - so anecdotal information from one person might not apply to you, either.

[brooklyn297]

23. agreed