People who regularly smoke large amounts of cannabis have reduced bone density and are more prone to fractures, research has found.
The study also found that heavy cannabis users have a lower body weight and a reduced body mass index (BMI), which could contribute to thinning of their bones.
“Our research has shown that heavy users of cannabis have quite a large reduction in bone density compared with non-users and there is a real concern that this may put them at increased risk of developing osteoporosis and fractures later in life.”
Professor Stuart Ralston
Centre for Genomic and Experimental Medicine, University of Edinburgh