Researchers from the University of California San Diego School of Medicine, working alongside the genetics company 23andMe, have pinpointed specific regions in the human genome that appear to influence marijuana use.
Their findings, published in Molecular Psychiatry, suggest connections between these genetic factors and various psychiatric, cognitive, and physical health traits. The research could help shape future prevention and treatment options for cannabis use disorder.
According to the study’s senior author, Dr. Sandra Sanchez-Roige, marijuana is widely used, yet its long-term health impacts remain unclear. The team set out to better understand how genetics contribute to behaviors linked with cannabis use disorder, a condition that can disrupt daily life and affect nearly 30 percent of people who regularly use the drug.
The team conducted a large-scale genome-wide association study (GWAS), using genetic data from 131,895 participants who volunteered through 23andMe’s research program. Participants completed surveys indicating whether they had ever used marijuana and, if so, how frequently they used it.
Co-author Dr. Abraham Palmer noted that genetic science has long shown that inherited factors influence drug experimentation and addiction. “Tools like GWAS allow us to uncover biological pathways that connect marijuana use to brain activity and behavior,” he said.
The analysis identified two major genes tied to lifetime marijuana use. The first, known as CADM2, helps regulate communication between brain cells and has been previously linked to traits such as impulsivity, cancer spread, and obesity. The second, GRM3, plays a role in brain signaling and plasticity and has known connections to mental health conditions such as bipolar disorder and schizophrenia.
Further analysis uncovered 40 additional genes connected to lifetime marijuana use and four related to how often people used marijuana. Notably, 29 of these had not previously been linked to marijuana-related behaviors.
When comparing genetic data with medical information from large databases, the scientists found that a predisposition for marijuana use often overlapped with risks for over 100 traits. These included psychiatric conditions such as depression, ADHD, and anxiety, as well as cognitive differences and physical illnesses like diabetes, heart disease, and chronic pain. Genetic correlations were also observed with tobacco use, autoimmune diseases, and infections like HIV and hepatitis.
Dr. Hayley Thorpe, the study’s lead author, noted that marijuana use exists on a spectrum. Studying early-use behaviors, she said, helps clarify how genetic risks emerge before full cannabis use disorder develops.
Currently, there are no FDA-approved medications for cannabis use disorder, but the researchers hope these findings will pave the way for new therapies and prevention strategies.
The study findings show that cannabis use disorder is more complicated than has been thought. Marijuana businesses like Canopy Growth Corp. (NASDAQ: CGC) (TSX: WEED) are likely to interest themselves in any follow up research done to get more insights on how customers can be better advised on product use.
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