# Cannabis use and kidney health among veterans with coronary artery disease

> **NIH NIH R56** · NORTHERN CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE/RES/EDU · 2020 · $99,645

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
Despite widespread legalization of cannabis for medicinal or recreational use and the development of a
multibillion dollar cannabis industry, the health effects of cannabis are insufficiently characterized.
Experimental evidence supports a pathogenic role of the cannabinoid system in several forms of chronic
kidney disease (CKD) and case series have revealed a link between synthetic cannabinoid use and the risk of
acute kidney injury (AKI). However, there is a dearth of epidemiologic evidence regarding the effects of
cannabis on kidney health. Previous cohort studies have been limited by inadequate assessment of cannabis
exposure, low exposure levels among cannabis users, or incomplete assessment of kidney health outcomes.
With mass marketing of cannabis to the public, expanding availability of high potency cannabis products, and
inadequate pain management options for persons with CKD, it is critically important to evaluate the potential
kidney toxicity or safety of cannabis.
This proposal will investigate the effects of cannabis use on kidney health in The Heart and Cannabis (THC)
study, a contemporary and national cohort of cannabis users (N=1,132) and non-users (N=2,863) with
coronary artery disease. Designed as a birth cohort, the THC study has ascertained current and lifetime
cannabis exposure in all participants by telephone-based health interviews, and more than 99% of participants
agreed to subsequent contact for study follow-up. Together with the cohort's access to electronic health
records and hospitalization diagnoses for clinical outcomes, the THC study offers an unprecedented
opportunity for our proposed investigations of kidney health. The first Aim will evaluate associations of
cannabis exposure with risk of CKD and longitudinal changes in kidney function over five years. The second
Aim will examine associations of cannabis exposure with risk of AKI over five years. Finally, the third Aim will
explore subclinical nephrotoxicity of cannabis at baseline and after one year, using a panel of urinary
biomarkers that capture five distinct components of kidney health: glomerular injury; tubular dysfunction; tubule
injury; tubule inflammation and fibrosis; and, tubule repair and reserve. Our investigative team has extensive
experience with these biomarkers and their utility for the detection of drug-induced nephrotoxicity. These
projects will: 1) provide important data regarding the potential nephrotoxicity or safety of cannabis; 2) inform
public health messages that communicate the risks or benefits of cannabis; and 3) lay the groundwork for
future studies that could evaluate a biomarker-based strategy to monitor for cannabis nephrotoxicity in persons
at risk for CKD.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10261058
- **Project number:** 1R56DK126831-01
- **Recipient organization:** NORTHERN CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE/RES/EDU
- **Principal Investigator:** Vasantha Kolavennu Jotwani
- **Activity code:** R56 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $99,645
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2020-09-18 → 2022-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10261058

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10261058, Cannabis use and kidney health among veterans with coronary artery disease (1R56DK126831-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10261058. Licensed CC0.

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