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Men and women who smoke marijuana may experience different effects, study suggests
A UCLA Health study suggests that occasional cannabis users may experience different effects depending on sex: men reported feeling more high, sedated and impaired than women with similar use. The findings indicate that how often someone uses cannabis may help explain differences in their response, and could inform research into unpleasant effects and risk.
The study included 44 healthy adults aged 21 to 55, split evenly between men and women and grouped by frequency of cannabis use. Participants took part in three sessions involving cannabis with no THC, a lower THC dose or a higher dose; occasional-use men reported stronger effects despite similar peak blood THC levels to women, while frequent users generally responded similarly across sexes. The researchers cautioned that the study was small and used cannabis containing 4% or 10% THC, below the 20% or more common in many products today.
In short
- Occasional-use men reported stronger cannabis effects than women.
- Frequent users responded similarly across sexes.
- Larger studies are needed to confirm the findings.
Explained simply
Cannabis contains THC, the substance mainly responsible for its intoxicating effects. People can differ in how strongly they feel those effects, and their experience may depend on factors such as how often they use cannabis.
Researchers study these differences to understand effects such as feeling sedated or impaired, and whether some people may be more likely to have an unpleasant experience. Small studies using lower-THC cannabis may not reflect how people respond to stronger products commonly available today.
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