Wednesday, August 26, 2026 | Edition 192 | Item #2

Because, according to a massive new study from Cambridge University, you would be giving back all the gains of climbing those steps. As with the stair study, this was a study of studies, to try to get more reliable data than any single smaller investigation.  The meta-analysis covered studies involving more than 100 million people. 

The results: cocaine and amphetamine use were each linked to roughly twice the risk of stroke (cocaine increased the risk by 96%, amphetamines by 122%), while cannabis use was associated with an increase of about 37%. Opioid use, by contrast, showed no statistically significant association with stroke risk, though we know that opioids have their own dangers. The increased stroke risk appears to come from sharp increases in blood pressure and narrowing of blood vessels, abnormal heart rhythms, greater blood clotting (especially cannabis), and inflammation or vasculitis (especially amphetamines).

Somewhat surprisingly, people under 55 had the most significant stroke risk, with amphetamines posing the greatest problem, causing an almost three-fold increase in the risk of stroke.