Individuals with chronic kidney disease (CKD) that use marijuana may lose function of their kidneys more rapidly than non-users, as found in one study.
Researchers compared the mean annual rate of decline in estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) among the two groups of participants. The eGFR was 3.22 mL/min/1.73 m2 among marijuana users and 1.42 mL/min/1.73 m2 among non-users. Glomerular filtration rate (GFR) measures kidney function effectiveness by documenting how well the kidneys are filtering the blood.
Scientists did not observe a decline in kidney function among individuals that use marijuana and do not have CKD.
