{"id":20819,"date":"2026-03-14T18:03:29","date_gmt":"2026-03-14T17:03:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/?p=20819"},"modified":"2026-03-14T18:03:29","modified_gmt":"2026-03-14T17:03:29","slug":"recreational-drugs-can-more-than-double-risk-of-stroke-study-suggests","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/2026\/03\/recreational-drugs-can-more-than-double-risk-of-stroke-study-suggests\/","title":{"rendered":"Recreational drugs can more than double risk of stroke, study suggests"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"dcr-1fnjjtg\" data-gu-name=\"title\">\n<div class=\"dcr-1mqnt10\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\"><strong>Medical data from 100m people shows risk 122% higher for amphetamine users, 96% higher for cocaine and 37% higher for cannabis<\/strong><\/span><\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<aside class=\"dcr-1fnjjtg\" data-gu-name=\"meta\">\n<div class=\"dcr-14emo0l\">\n<div class=\"dcr-ich95x\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"dcr-14emo0l\">\n<div class=\"dcr-1v9sla6\">\n<div class=\"dcr-5oiine\">\n<div class=\"dcr-1kpcv08\">\n<address data-component=\"meta-byline\" data-link-name=\"byline\" data-gu-name=\"byline\">\n<div class=\"dcr-16bbvim\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">by Ian Sample, Science editor &#8211; Sun 8 Mar 2026<\/span><\/div>\n<\/address>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"dcr-9dgpdq\" data-print-layout=\"hide\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"src-button-space\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">Recreational drugs can more than double the risk of stroke, with some of the most concerning impacts seen among younger people, a major review suggests.<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<div class=\"dcr-kn9unn\" data-gu-name=\"body\">\n<div class=\"dcr-1a4fred\">\n<div id=\"maincontent\" class=\"dcr-slhikk\">\n<div class=\"article-body-commercial-selector article-body-viewer-selector dcr-1c9t5u6\">\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">Scientists analysed medical data from more than 100 million people and found that the risk of stroke was 122% higher for amphetamine users and 96% higher for cocaine users compared with those who did not take the drugs.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">Cannabis users were also at greater risk, suffering 37% more strokes than non-users, the review found, though researchers saw no evidence that opioids, a highly addictive painkiller, added to a person\u2019s risk of stroke.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">The rise in strokes observed in connection with some drugs was not confined to older people. When researchers focused on under-55s, they saw a near tripling in stroke risk among amphetamine users. The additional risk linked to cannabis was a more modest 14% in the age group, while the risk from cocaine was much the same at 97%.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">Dr Megan Ritson, a research associate at the\u00a0University of Cambridge\u00a0and first author on the study, said: \u201cIllicit drug use is a preventable stroke risk, but I don\u2019t know if young people are aware how high the risk is.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">\u201cThis is the first finding that has shown how different substance use disorders really can impact stroke risk.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"ad-slot-container\" style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-ad-slot=\"true\">\n<div id=\"dfp-ad--inline1\" class=\"js-ad-slot ad-slot ad-slot--inline ad-slot--inline1 ad-slot--rendered\" data-link-name=\"ad slot inline1\" data-name=\"inline1\" aria-hidden=\"true\" data-google-query-id=\"CJGB0Y7tn5MDFcKGUAYdEKILfQ\" data-label-show=\"true\" data-refresh=\"false\">\n<div id=\"google_ads_iframe_\/59666047\/theguardian.com\/society\/article\/ng_0__container__\" class=\"ad-slot__content\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">Strokes occur when blood vessels in the brain become blocked or burst. This disrupts the blood supply to brain cells, causing them to die. Stroke\u00a0is the third leading cause of death and disability worldwide, leading to more than 7million deaths annually. Millions more are left with permanent disabilities, ranging from paralysis to speech and cognitive impairment.<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">The researchers pooled data from 32 studies on stroke and recreational drugs, involving more than 100 million people, to see which substances, if any, were associated with a greater risk. This revealed links between drug use and strokes, but it could not prove the drugs were to blame: drug users may simply be more prone to strokes for other reasons, such as poorer general health.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">To delve deeper, the researchers ran more analyses to see if drugs were the probable cause of higher stroke risk. They looked at whether people who were genetically predisposed to having a drug disorder were more likely to suffer a stroke and found they were. The finding bolstered the suspicion that drugs were to blame, rather than drug users being at greater risk for other reasons. Details are published in the\u00a0International Journal of Stroke.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">The drugs appear to raise stroke risk in multiple ways. Amphetamines and cocaine can send blood pressure soaring, but also constrict blood vessels in the brain, potentially explaining why users are at greater risk of both bleeds and blockages in the brain. Cocaine also seems to accelerate atherosclerosis, where cholesterol, fat and other substances build up in arteries, causing them to harden and narrow. Cannabis constricts blood vessels too, and may exacerbate the problem by encouraging the formation of blood clots.<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"ad-slot-container ad-slot-container-2 ad-slot-container--right-column ad-slot-container--offset-right\" style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-ad-slot=\"true\">\n<div id=\"dfp-ad--inline2\" class=\"js-ad-slot ad-slot ad-slot--inline ad-slot--inline2 ad-slot--rendered\" data-link-name=\"ad slot inline2\" data-name=\"inline2\" aria-hidden=\"true\" data-google-query-id=\"CMXwppDtn5MDFbKXUAYdHkECSg\" data-label-show=\"true\">\n<div id=\"google_ads_iframe_\/59666047\/theguardian.com\/society\/article\/ng_7__container__\" class=\"ad-slot__content\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">The findings are a concern as global recreational drug use has risen over the past decade. According to the UN, about 300 million people\u00a0now consume illicit drugs regularly, with an estimated 228 million using cannabis, 30 million using amphetamines and 23 million using cocaine.<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">Juliet Bouverie, the chief executive at the Stroke Association, said: \u201cThese substances put a person\u2019s cardiovascular system under huge amounts of stress which can lead to increased blood clotting, narrowing of blood vessels and damage to the circulatory system \u2013 all of which can lead to stroke. Regular use of cocaine can also lead to high blood pressure, which is the cause of around half of all strokes.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">\u201cMore people of all ages are having strokes which is leaving 240 people every day with life-changing disabilities \u2013 yet nine out of 10 strokes are preventable. We strongly advise that people follow simple steps to live a healthy lifestyle and reduce their risk of stroke including eating a colourful diet, not drinking too much alcohol, getting regular exercise, and not smoking, vaping, or taking any illegal drugs.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">Source: https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/society\/2026\/mar\/08\/recreational-drugs-can-more-than-double-the-risk-of-stroke-study-suggests<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Medical data from 100m people shows risk 122% higher for amphetamine users, 96% higher for cocaine and 37% higher for cannabis by Ian Sample, Science editor &#8211; Sun 8 Mar 2026 Recreational drugs can more than double the risk of stroke, with some of the most concerning impacts seen among younger people, a major review [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[30,31,68,142,43,19],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-20819","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-cannabis-marijuana","category-cocaine","category-drug-use-various-effects","category-latest-news","category-methamphetamine-ghb-hallucinogens-oxycodone","category-usa"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20819","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=20819"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20819\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":20820,"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20819\/revisions\/20820"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20819"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20819"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20819"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}