5 Weird Ways Marijuana Affects Men And Women Differently

Men and women are very similar, yet there are key differences in their systems. Like many other substances, marijuana affects them in different ways. While some differences can be explained by different body types and sizes, cannabis has an interesting relationship with a variety of hormones, including estrogen, causing different responses in people.

Due to a lack of research, there’s a lot we don’t know about the effects of marijuana on the body. When it comes to differences in the effects on men and women, we don’t know more because historically researchers have focused on men. Here are six ways cannabis affects men and women in different ways:

THC sensitivity

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Research from Washington State University found that ovulating female rats had a significant increase in THC sensitivity due to their estrogen levels.

Psychology professor Rebecca Craft said she and her team “routinely manipulate hormones and follow women through their cycles to see if their drug sensitivity changes along with their hormones.” And they do… very often.”

Craf said, “What we find with THC is that you get a very clear spike in drug sensitivity right when the women are ovulating — right when their estrogen levels have peaked and are falling.”

pain relief

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According to the same WSU study, “Female rats were at least 30% more sensitive than male rats to the pain-relieving properties of THC – the main active ingredient in cannabis”.

tolerance

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Women also develop tolerance faster than men. This property was demonstrated in the same study by Washington State University researchers, who proved that female mice developed resistance to cannabis within 10 days. After this period, mice required a much higher dose of cannabis to experience the same response.

libido

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In low doses, cannabis improves libido in women. In high doses, it creates a counter-effect that affects women and their interest in sex. With men, things are more complicated. Cannabis seems to increase their libido soon after smoking, especially when consumed in low doses. When consumed in high doses, the increase in libido is much shorter and can lead to stage fright.

Anxiety and Mental Health

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According to a 2015 study, men are more likely to suffer from cannabis psychosis. The data showed that men were four times more likely to experience it than women, although we should take these numbers with a pinch of salt. Cannabis studies have tended to be dominated by male patients, particularly in recent years.

munchies

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Another fact that researchers found is that men are more likely to experience food cravings compared to women. This seems to be the only area where men respond more strongly to THC than women.