10 Ways Cannabis Affects Men and Women Differently

As we have known for a long time, most drugs may affect men and women differently. That is the case with cannabis as well.

Below are some facts about how pot affects men and women in different ways.

Women

1. Increased Pain Relief

The contact of THC with estrogen (one of the women’s hormones) can make women more sensitive to the cannabis compounds. That gives marijuana higher pain-relieving effects for females. That is why women may get more benefits from using cannabis as a painkiller.

2. Your Cycle and THC

The menstrual cycle can influence the high. Recent studies show that women receive the most effects from THC at the peak of their estrogen level. This usually happens a day or two before the ovulation.

3. Faster Tolerance Development

The scientists from Washington State University found that females might become tolerant to THC more quickly. Although trials were performed on rats, the results showed that females became desensitized to the psychoactive components much faster.

4. More Severe Withdrawal

Research shows that women experience marijuana withdrawal symptoms, such as lack of appetite, sleep disruption, and irritability, more often than males.

5. Visuospatial Memory Issues

Weed can make women more forgetful than male counterparts. Thus, female chronic smokers might have more trouble with visuospatial memory than men.

6. Improved Libido

It is a known fact that estrogen levels are responsible for female sex drive. Low doses of marijuana can increase women’s libido while high doses may cause a completely opposite effect.

Men

7. Less Pain Relief

A study says that males are less sensitive to marijuana. Thus, when the researchers explored the effects of THC on pain relief in rats, they found that males have to consume more cannabis to achieve the same results as women do.

8. More Munchies

One of the side effects of pot is increased appetite, and males are more affected by it than females.

9. More Cases of Psychosis

Recent research found that men were more likely to experience marijuana-induced psychosis. However, psychosis is a rare symptom among cannabis users, thus many scientists are still debating whether or not it is caused by weed consumption.

10. Complicated libido

THC can cause a release of testosterone shortly after cannabis consumption (about an hour for low doses and 20 minutes for high doses). However, after that period testosterone levels drop below the baseline.

Men and women both have their own benefits and disadvantages of weed use. Overall, men seem to be less sensitive to cannabis, but women enjoy a stronger pain-relieving effect.