HCR Update from Mark Sanna: Females More Susceptible to Marijuana

In the first study to assess sex differences in sensitivities to THC, the key ingredient in cannabis, researchers have found that smoking the concentrated marijuana of today may be riskier for women - thanks to the hormone estrogen. The new study, conducted in rats, details how the hormone estrogen makes females more susceptible to effects of THC in marijuana. The researchers, led by Prof. Rebecca Craft of Washington State University, publish their National Institute on Drug Abuse-funded study in the journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence. Interestingly, the "munchie effect," whereby marijuana use increases appetite, is the only THC reaction where males exhibit more sensitivity than females.