Recreational drugs more than double stroke risk, research suggests

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

Scientists analysed medical data from more than 100 million people and found stroke risk was 122 per cent higher for amphetamine users and 96 per cent higher for cocaine users than for non-users.

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