Recurrent stroke associated with cannabis use

Abstract

Drug misuse represents a risk factor for cerebrovascular disease, especially among young people. Despite the fact that cannabis is the most widely used illicit drug, there are only a few reports associating its use with cerebrovascular disease. We describe a patient who suffered three ischaemic strokes immediately after cannabis consumption. Other stroke aetiologies were ruled out, and neuroimaging revealed infarcts in different arterial areas as well as evidence of non-atherosclerotic arterial disease, which suggests an underlying vasculopathy of uncertain (toxic or inflammatory) origin. Cannabis use may be associated with ischaemic stroke in young patients, but its mechanism is unclear.