Smoking Cigarettes, but Not Pot, Linked to Increased Heart Disease Advertisement The more someone smoked, the more likely they were to be diagnosed with heart problems. Advertisement It may be that all smoking isn’t bad for you in the same way. According to an analysis published in EClinical Medicine, smoking cigarettes is far more likely to lead to heart disease than smoking marijuana. The analysis conducted by David Lorenz, PhD, a research scientist at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, and colleagues adds to the already overwhelming data showing that smoking tobacco—a practice more prevalent among people with HIV—is associated with shorter life spans and worse HIV outcomes.