Cocaine, Amphetamines, and Cannabis Linked to…

Cocaine, Amphetamines, and Cannabis Linked to Significantly Higher Stroke Risk, Massive Cambridge Analysis Finds Stroke remains one of the world's leading causes of death and disability combined, and many of its major risk factors are modifiable through lifestyle. A new meta-analysis from the University of Cambridge, drawing on data from over 100 million people, adds recreational drug use to that list, with genuinely striking increases in stroke risk associated with several commonly used substances. Why this question needed a clearer answer: Previous research had increasingly suggested recreational drugs might contribute to stroke risk, but much of that evidence was observational and inconsistent in quality, making it genuinely difficult to determine whether the drugs themselves were responsible, or whether other lifestyle factors common among users explained the association. The study: Researchers conducted a meta-analysis combining data from multiple published cohort studies, covering more than 100 million participants in total, allowing them to draw considerably stronger conclusions than any single study could provide on its own. The headline findings: Cocaine and amphetamine use were each linked to roughly double the risk of stroke, cocaine increased risk by 96%, amphetamines by 122%. Cannabis use was associated with a 37% increase in stroke risk. Notably, opioid use showed no statistically significant association