Study: Pot users with arrhythmias face greater risk of death By (0) Marijuana users with irregular heartbeats have a higher risk for death compared to those without the ailment, a new study has found. File Photo by Atomazul/Shutterstock April 23 (UPI) -- Hospitalized marijuana users with irregular heartbeats are 4 1/2 times more likely to die than those with normal heartbeats, research presented Friday during the Congress of the European Society of Cardiology showed. In the analysis of nearly 2.5 million people who used marijuana and were admitted to hospitals, nearly 8% had arrhythmias, the data showed. Advertisement These heart rate irregularities are far less common in the general population, affecting fewer than 1% of adults in the United States, based on recent estimates.