Men who consume marijuana occasionally may experience more intense effects than women with comparable usage patterns, according to new research from UCLA Health. The findings indicate that gender and frequency of consumption could influence how individuals respond to the drug.
Published in the Neuropsychopharmacology Journal, the study involved 44 adults aged 21 to 55. The participants included equal numbers of women and men, who were separated into groups according to how frequently they used marijuana.
During the experiment, each participant attended three sessions and smoked marijuana containing either no THC, a lower THC concentration, or a higher THC concentration. Neither the participants nor those administering the sessions knew which preparation was being used at the time.
Researchers observed notable differences among occasional consumers. Men in this category described feeling more intoxicated, sleepy, and mentally or physically impaired than women who reported similar consumption habits. They were also more likely to experience unwanted reactions, including anxiety. In addition, their heart rates increased considerably following exposure to marijuana containing THC.
Interestingly, blood tests showed that occasional male and female users reached comparable peak THC concentrations.
However, the results were different among participants who consumed marijuana regularly. Women and men in this category showed broadly similar reactions after using the active preparations.
Frequent consumers, irrespective of gender, were also more inclined to enjoy the experience, express interest in using marijuana again and take additional amounts during the experiment.
The observations offer a different perspective from earlier research, some of which indicated that women could be more sensitive to marijuana.
Study author Dr. Ziva Cooper said earlier conclusions were largely informed by human studies and animal experiments that combined findings from separate investigations.
She explained that examining gender alongside consumption frequency, while accounting for hormonal influences, produced a different understanding of the drug’s effects.
To reduce potential hormonal variations, investigators monitored menstrual cycles among female participants. None of the women involved in the research was taking hormonal contraceptives.
Dr. Stephanie Lake, lead author of the study, said both biological sex and previous marijuana exposure should be considered when assessing how people respond to the substance. She noted that studying these factors together could help identify individuals more likely to experience unpleasant, harmful, or positive effects.
The researchers cautioned that their findings should be interpreted carefully. With only 44 participants, the investigation was relatively small, while some observations concerning occasional male consumers came from preliminary analyses requiring further verification.
Another limitation involved the marijuana strength used during testing. The preparations contained THC concentrations of 4 percent and 10 percent, considerably below the levels found in many commercially available products, which frequently exceed 20 percent.
Further research involving larger groups is needed to establish whether women and men develop marijuana tolerance differently and whether these variations influence their susceptibility to cannabis use disorder (CUD).
Until additional research is undertaken using larger populations, the findings of this small study may not offer useful insights to marijuana industry players like Aurora Cannabis Inc. (NASDAQ: ACB) (TSX: ACB) that can inform how they advise their customers.
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