The effects of marihuana on specific cardiovascular parameters during exercise

Abstract

The study was conducted to examine potential long term effects of marihuana upon the cardiovascular system before, during, and after submaximal exercise. The following specific cardiovascular parameters were used to compare long term marihuana users to non-users. 1) Resting heart rate and blood pressure 2) Exercise heart rate, blood pressure, and ECG changes 3) Immediate post-exercise heart rate, blood pressure, and ECG changes at two, four, and six minute intervals 4) Time on the treadmill to reach the exercise level of the target heart rate. The two samples consisted of 23 computer matched pairs between the ages of 17 and 21. The subjects were solicited from the Personal Health and General Psychology classes offered in the curriculum at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. The screening and testing procedures were conducted over a period of two months. The statistical model used in this study was the paired t test. The five percent level of confidence was the critical statistical value chosen for acceptance or rejection of the null hypothesis. Significant differences between the marihuana users and non-users were found in heart rate and diastolic blood pressure during the post-exercise period. The users' heart rate was significantly lower than the non-users at four minutes post exercise. At four and six minutes post exercise the users' diastolic blood pressure was significantly higher than the non-users. There were no significant long term effects of marihuana on the resting cardiovascular parameters. The long term use of marihuana does not result in any apparent ECG changes.