Ghent, Belgium: Younger and middle-aged adults who regularly consume cannabis are no less likely than non-users to engage in physical activities, according to data published in the Journal of Cannabis Research.
Belgian researchers examined the relationship between past-month cannabis use and physical activity in a cohort of adults between the ages of 15 and 64.
After controlling for potential confounders, investigators reported that past-month cannabis consumption had “no effect” on participants’ levels of physical activity. “The stereotypical image of cannabis users having more sedentary lifestyles should be critically reevaluated in light of our and other research,” the study’s authors concluded.
Their findings are consistent with those of a 2024 study that similarly determined, “Marijuana … use [is] not associated with low exercise rates among adults in the United States.”
Their conclusions are inconsistent with those of other recent studies finding that adults with a history of marijuana use, and older adults in particular, typically exercise more frequently than their non-using peers.
Full text of the study, “Cannabis use is not associated with altered levels of physical activity: Evidence from the repeated sectional Belgian Health Interview Survey,” appears in the Journal of Cannabis Research.
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