A UCLA study found occasional male users reported stronger reactions to smoked cannabis.
Men who use cannabis occasionally may experience stronger effects from smoking it than women who use it at a similar frequency, according to a new study from UCLA Health. Researchers found that men in this group reported feeling more intoxicated, sedated, and impaired, even though blood tests showed similar levels of THC, the main chemical responsible for cannabis’s intoxicating effects. The findings challenge earlier research suggesting women are generally more sensitive to cannabis. The study was published in the journal Neuropsychopharmacology and examined how sex and cannabis use habits influence a person’s immediate response to the drug. Researchers from the UCLA Center for Cannabis and Cannabinoids designed the experiment to look at both factors together rather than studying differences between men and women separately from how often they use cannabis.
Healthy adult participants were divided into groups based on sex and frequency of use. The study included people who used cannabis weekly and those who used it daily. Each participant took part in three separate sessions, during which they smoked cannabis containing no active THC, a lower amount of THC, or a higher amount. Participants were not told which version they received during each session. Researchers also controlled for hormonal differences among female participants. Women in the study were not taking hormonal birth control, and testing was scheduled during the same phase of their menstrual cycles. This allowed the research team to examine possible differences in cannabis responses while reducing the influence of certain hormonal changes.
The results showed that men who used cannabis occasionally experienced the strongest overall effects. They reported feeling more intoxicated and sedated, along with greater impairment and unpleasant reactions such as anxiety. This group was also the only one to experience a significant increase in heart rate after smoking cannabis containing THC. The responses of men and women who used cannabis frequently were much more alike. Researchers also found that frequent users, regardless of sex, showed more signs of cannabis’s addictive properties than occasional users. This suggests that a person’s history of cannabis use may play an important role in how the drug affects them.
Blood THC measurements did not account for the differences in reported experiences. Men who used cannabis frequently tended to have the highest THC levels in their blood, but they reported fewer effects than men who used it occasionally. The findings suggest that the body’s response to cannabis may depend on more than the amount of THC circulating in the bloodstream.
Dr. Ziva Cooper, the study’s principal investigator and director of the UCLA Center for Cannabis and Cannabinoids, said much of the previous understanding of sex differences in cannabis reactions came from animal studies or human research that combined results from separate experiments. She explained that examining sex and frequency of use together, while also accounting for hormonal factors, produced a different picture.
The researchers say the findings are especially relevant as cannabis use increases among women. Previous research has suggested that women may progress from trying cannabis to developing cannabis use disorder more quickly than men. The UCLA team believes women may also develop tolerance with less exposure, although additional research is needed to determine whether this is the case. Further research may help clarify how individual differences affect cannabis experiences and support better approaches to preventing and treating cannabis-related problems.
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Occasional male cannabis users experience stronger effects than women
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