Is cannabis a vasodilator? Here’s how it works.

Let's see how it works

Modified on: 19/10/2023

Are you wondering if cannabis is a vasodilator? Find out if it is!

Many questions revolve around the subject of cannabis and cannabis light and their effects.

Among the many questions, however, we have noticed that many people wonder whether cannabis is a vasodilator. And, if so, what effects can it have on the body? 

In this article, we want to answer these curiosities, taking a few studies as examples and clarifying the differences between the effects of cannabis with a high percentage of THC and CBD cannabis.

Here are the clarifications you were looking for.

Read Also: Here is the plant with the highest THC content (and its secret).

Let’s see how it works

If so many people wonder whether cannabis consumption can have vasodilating effects, there is certainly an explanation.

This question’s origin begins with the fact that many people, after taking marijuana, have experienced an accelerated heart rate and redness of the eyes.

These are the typical effects of THC, the psychotropic substance naturally contained in hemp.

So yes, cannabis is a vasodilator, and below we explain where the other effects come from.

After taking marijuana (with THC and not legal marijuana), the walls of the veins dilate. The body absorbs this information and makes the heart beat faster to compensate for the arteries’ lower blood pressure.

Besides, vasodilation makes the eyes’ capillaries more visible, which, as they widen, gives the reddish colour typical of those who use the product.

Of course, the higher the THC content, the more the effects could be amplified. While in the case of light hemp, whose THC value by law must not exceed 0.2%, these effects are not visible.

It must also be said that it has been found that repeated use of marijuana at a given time causes the heart rate and blood pressure to stop rising. It is as if the body gets used to the changes caused by its chemical processes after a while.

Let's see how it works

Laboratory tests: the effects of THC on high blood pressure.

To better understand the behaviour of cannabis on the circulatory system, various tests have been carried out in some parts of the world, some on animals and others on humans.

We wanted to study how hemp could affect hypertensive subjects thanks to its vasodilating power. 

Today in medicine to treat acute states of hypertension, vasodilating drugs are used, and it was curious to understand how the THC of the plant could intervene in this sense.

Before we continue, we would like to clarify that the studies have focused on this component (THC), and not on the whole plant. Therefore, for obvious reasons, the categories of light hemp were excluded.

Here is what the laboratory tests found.

A few years ago, researchers decided to inject THC into mice to study their blood pressure effects. 

From the data, it appeared that this substance’s administration initially led to an increase in blood pressure and heart rate, and only after two weeks. The values of these two parameters were lowered.

Of course, many other human studies were also developed, including the CARDIA (Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults) project in San Francisco, which analysed data on 3,500 adults over 15 years. This study concluded by arguing that there appears to be no correlation between cannabis use and an increased risk of stroke or heart attack.

On the other hand, at Harvard Medical School, it was shown that older people immediately after using THC were more likely to suffer heart attacks and that the parameters returned to normal after two hours.

In short, each study came to conclusions that do not appear to be strictly consistent. It is probably since the studies focused only on THC and not on the plant as a whole.

Read also: Does CBD oil lower blood pressure and fight hypertension? The opinion of science

Conclusion: Cannabis is a vasodilator.

There is, therefore, no doubt that cannabis with a high THC content is a vasodilator. What is not clear is what the use of this substance might imply for some people.

Probably in the course of future research, more precise results will be obtained, perhaps also analysing all the other components of the plant, including CBD.

The aim now is precisely to find out more about the effects of marijuana in its entirety. Also pay more attention to associations with alcohol, tobacco and other substances or medicines.

In conclusion, cannabis is a vasodilator

As for legal CBD flowers, as already mentioned, no effects related to vasodilation have been found, as the THC content is too low to affect the circulatory system.

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