Daily Archives: January 30, 2016

The Difference in Cannabis Use Between the Sexes

Cannabis is the most widely consumed illicit drug – with 34.8% of Australians over the age of 14 reporting having used it at least once in their lifetime.

Men remain the biggest users of cannabis, accounting for around 75% of those who take the drug. But recent statistics show that the percentage of women who use cannabis daily outstrips men, with 14% of women smoking every day, compared to 12% of men.

A number of international studies have also shown that men and women use cannabis for different reasons.

Men are more susceptible to external factors such as peer pressure and availability of the drug – and are more likely to use it for ‘fun’ in a social or recreational setting. In contrast, women are more likely to use cannabis to ‘relieve an internal distress situation’ – for instance, to cope with stress and anxiety caused by work or a relationship breakdown.

Men who use cannabis are also more likely to consume alcohol and tobacco, and are more likely to have been convicted of a criminal offence in the past. Women, on the other hand, were more inclined to combine cannabis with prescription drugs, and usually had a partner who was also a drug user.

The Science Behind Cannabis Use

What’s more, research has shown that men and women may process the drug in dissimilar ways, because of differences in brain hormones between the two sexes. This, in turn, could mean that men and women experience different long-term effects of cannabis.

According to statistics compiled by the National Drug Strategy Household Survey, men are more likely to consume cannabis (39% of males have tried cannabis – compared to 34% of females), but women are more likely to use the drug regularly, become dependent and, consequently, suffer withdrawal symptoms.

Research has shown that females build up a tolerance to marijuana more quickly than males – and are therefore more likely to consume the drug frequently in order to feel its effects. A study conducted by Washington State University in 2014 found that women were more sensitive to the effects of marijuana, but soon developed a resistance to it. The researchers argued that this is why women have a higher risk of developing a dependence to the drug.

Research indicates that women are less likely to seek treatment for cannabis dependence when compared to men – which may in some cases be due to a fear of losing custody of their children.

In terms of processing the drug, the active chemical in cannabis (THC) binds to receptors in the brain, which are affected by sex hormones. When scientists conducted laboratory tests, they found that male rats which were exposed to cannabis over a long period of time were more likely to exhibit reduced motivation, while female rats showed depressive traits. It is believed that this is because cannabis alters the brain areas responsible for regulating stress and memory in males, and motivation in females.

However, there has been little done in the way of neuroimaging studies to confirm exactly how cannabis affects male and female human brains differently – largely due to the high costs involved.

So, while men and women may use cannabis for different reasons, scientists have been hesitant to draw conclusions about how the drug affects male and female brains differently.

But with cannabis legalisation for medical use on the horizon, and clinical trials already scheduled, we are likely to gain insights from further research into the effects of the drug.