Georgia case highlights potential heart risks of cannabis use as use rises nationwide
Healthy 26-year-old woman suffers cannabis-induced cardiac arrest; doctors note rare presentation and call for increased awareness as marijuana use grows and research continues.
A 26-year-old woman in Georgia who was previously healthy suffered a cardiac arrest believed to be triggered by cannabis use, doctors say. She arrived at a local emergency department after her fiancé found her unconscious on the couple's bathroom floor, and emergency workers resuscitated her. Upon hospital admission, physicians diagnosed ventricular fibrillation, a life-threatening rhythm in which the heart's lower chambers beat erratically and fail to pump blood and oxygen to the body. Tests showed no underlying heart disease, and the only drug detected was tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, the psychoactive component of marijuana. The treating team described the episode as cannabis-induced cardiac arrest.
Doctors from WellStar Spalding Health System said the patient had no structural heart disease, no genetic predisposition and no metabolic derangement. They noted she was a chronic cannabis user, potentially consuming the drug several times per week, although details of how much or how often she used cannabis were not provided. The heart rhythm returned to normal within a week, and she was discharged to a nursing facility wearing a wearable cardioverter-defibrillator, a vest-equipped device that can detect dangerous rhythms and deliver a shock if needed. The team's report emphasizes that such a presentation is rare but serious, especially in a young, previously healthy person.
Her case comes as a growing body of research links cannabis use to cardiovascular events. A May 2025 study published in JAMA Cardiology found marijuana smokers had about a 52 percent reduction in endothelial function compared with nonusers. Endothelial cells line blood vessels and regulate flow by releasing nitric oxide; lower nitric oxide can hinder dilation and promote conditions such as atherosclerosis, heart attack and stroke. While the exact mechanism behind cannabis-related cardiac arrest remains unclear, the researchers note that THC can raise heart rate and force the heart to work harder to circulate blood and oxygen, potentially triggering dangerous rhythms in some individuals.
About 18 million Americans report using marijuana daily or nearly every day, according to federal health data, and cannabis use has surged in recent years as legality expands. From 1992 to 2022, daily and near-daily use increased 15-fold, driven by legalization and easier access to the drug in many states. The rising trend coincides with increasing attention to cardiovascular risks, even as cannabis remains illegal in several states and is regulated in others for medical or recreational use.
Medical experts say as legalization expands, clinicians should closely monitor chronic cannabis users for heart problems and consider marijuana exposure as part of a patient’s cardiovascular risk assessment. The WellStar Spalding team wrote that their case underscores the need for greater public and clinical awareness of THC's potential cardiovascular consequences. The patient ultimately regained normal rhythm within days and was discharged with a wearable cardioverter-defibrillator, which continues to monitor her heart and can deliver a therapeutic shock if dangerous rhythms recur.