Link: https://www.theguardian.com/society/2026/mar/08/recreational-drugs-can-more-than-double-the-risk-of-stroke-study-suggests

Medical data from 100m people shows risk 122% higher for amphetamine users, 96% higher for cocaine and 37% higher for cannabis

Recreational drugs can more than double the risk of stroke, with some of the most concerning impacts seen among younger people, a major review suggests.

Scientists analysed medical data from more than 100 million people and found that the risk of stroke was 122% higher for amphetamine users and 96% higher for cocaine users compared with those who did not take the drugs.

Cannabis users were also at greater risk, suffering 37% more strokes than non-users, the review found, though researchers saw no evidence that opioids, a highly addictive painkiller, added to a person’s risk of stroke.

amphetamines would include ADHD medications, wouldn't it? that's unfortunate

Man drugs cause me to have a stroke 100 percent of time. Sometimes I have two in a row other times just a snack.

All of them? Nicotine, caffeine, alcohol, energy drinks, too?

Opiates had evidence of reducing the risk, so I guess the lesson is have speedballs if you want speed

Likely mediated mitigated by low dosage and tolerance for ADHD medication. Recreational use tends to be larger dosages more infrequently. From the paper "based on self-report, clinical diagnosis, or toxicology testing, depending on the study. When referring to this analysis, “use” refers to consumption regardless of severity or frequency." so it's unclear if medication is even in this study.

Prudent to keep an eye on blood pressure and keep up with cardio though.

No effect found for nicotine, alcohol "linked to large artery and cardioembolic stroke". Caffeine not mentioned.

Why is amphetamine separate from cocaine

Cannabis users

I'm always slightly skeptical when articles talk about "cannabis users" without differentiating between smokers and other kinds of users.

Certainly cannabis has an effect on your blood pressure in all circumstances, but it seems to me that consumption differences between eating and smoking cannabis (like smoking anything) would have significant implications on the quality of this kind of study.

Maybe because, while they are both stimulants, they are chemically extremely different.

Ah, my bad, thanks, will correct. Just to clarify, a blood clot elsewhere in the body is a thrombosis? ischemic event ((guessing that's what it causes)? but in the brain it's a stroke?

ETA: As per Mirriam-Webster

ischaemia : deficient supply of blood to a body part (as the heart or brain) that is due to obstruction of the inflow of arterial blood.

thrombosis : the formation or presence of a blood clot (thrombus) within a blood vessel.

As per W.H.O.

A stroke is a medical emergency that occurs when blood flow to the brain is interrupted, either due to a blockage (ischemic) or bleeding (haemorrhagic).

It's bullshit. The correlation couldn't be tied to drugs specifically vs some other contributing factors such as general poor health, or poor diet, etc.