Can Weed Cause Kidney Stones? A Look Into Smoking And Kidney Stones

Kidney stones are solid, hard deposits that can form in the kidneys and cause serious pain.

While dehydration, diet, and genetics are well-known culprits of kidney stones, what about cannabis?

Let’s dive into the details and separate fact from speculation.

Hard masses or deposits of minerals and salts, known as kidney stones, can form inside the kidneys when there’s an excess of stone-forming substances like calcium, oxalate, uric acid, or cystine or insufficient liquid to dilute them.

Kidney stones start as tiny crystals and can grow large enough to block the urinary tract, causing moderate to severe pain. If they aren’t removed over time, kidney stones can lead to infection or kidney damage.

Common risk factors include:

• Dehydration from not drinking enough water
• High levels of sodium, sugar, or protein in the diet
• Obesity
• Intestinal surgery
• Family history of kidney stones
• Certain medications

There isn’t any evidence that directly links cannabis to causing kidney stones.

Smoking substances like tobacco have been linked to forming kidney stones, but the research simply isn’t there to make the same case for cannabis.

For example, smoking tobacco increases levels of cotinine, a by-product of nicotine, in the blood, and there’s even some evidence that second-hand tobacco smoke might increase the risk of kidney stones.

Interestingly, a 2023 study suggested a potential link between cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome (CHS)—a condition resulting from chronic cannabis use characterized by nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain—and kidney stones. However, researchers expressed this connection was unclear and likely related to the dehydration and electrolyte imbalances caused by CHS symptoms rather than cannabis.

On the other hand, there’s one study that suggests cannabis could potentially reduce the risk of developing kidney stones.

According to a recent study, men who regularly use cannabis are less likely to develop kidney stones.

Researchers wanted to determine whether or not regularly using cannabis was related to a history of kidney stones in the U.S. population. They gathered data from 2009 to 2018 from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, which were self-reported.

The survey revealed that over 26% of U.S. adults have used cannabis at least once in their lifetime. Taking a closer look at more frequent weed users, they found that specifically men consuming cannabis one to six times a week had a lower risk of having kidney stones.

This doesn’t mean you should run to your local dispensary and stock up to avoid kidney stones — as with many topics on cannabis and health, more research is needed to understand these unexpected effects.

While smoking substances like tobacco may lead to kidney stones, there isn’t enough evidence to definitively say that cannabis either causes or prevents them.

The one study suggesting that regular marijuana use in men might reduce the risk is compelling, but it doesn’t make cannabis safe from causing kidney stones.