Is Cannabis More Addictive among Women? A Study Is Looking for the Answer

The ongoing advances made in relation to cannabis legalisation have contributed to the industry experiencing a sharp increase in terms of development and innovation. However, this is not the only field that has been affected, as the scientific sectors has also experienced a rise in the number of studies focused on the effects of consuming the plant.

In full swing, these studies are of vital importance in order to allow cannabis to break away from the stereotypes and myths that have plagued it for such a long time. The latest proposal has been to focus research on clarifying the differences that exist between women and men that consume the plant, thus providing new conclusions for the cannabis world.

WHRY, the institute of Women’s Health Research at Yale, has announced that it is preparing to examine if women are more likely to develop an addiction to cannabis than men, as well as the effects that consumption has on them.

It is necessary to highlight the fact that, historically, women have been neglected by this type of studies, which have always analysed the effects of cannabis on male consumers. The reason seems to reside in the fact that men offered more stable profiles, making it a somewhat easier task to draw conclusions.

The director of WHRY, Dr Carolyn M. Mazure, states that “women and men are different, which means that so too are their medical needs. The study will make it possible to gain a better understanding of them and to develop approaches to health based on gender”.

Kelly Cosgrove has been in charge of directing the group that will conduct the study. In order to carry it out, the group of researchers will adapt the tools previously used to analyse the differences between men and women in terms of alcohol and tobacco consumption. Those studies found that there were differences, as a consequence of the neurochemical characteristics that are specific to each gender. This was the case for the initiation of consumption as well as the onset, development of effects and dependency process of these substances.

This will not be the first time that science has focused on women that consume cannabis, as other studies have analysed the benefits that medical cannabis can have on their health. For example, it has been discovered that the properties of cannabis have the potential to combat the muscle pain caused by menstruation or fight against the nausea that can be experienced during pregnancy. Also, during the menopause it may help to alleviate headaches and anxiety, symptoms which are very frequent during this stage.

Now that medical cannabis is making headway around the world, it is crucial to find out exactly how it works, as this helps to make treatments more responsive to the demands of patients. Cannabis is a natural medicine that has fewer side effects than many conventional drugs. Carrying out studies like this will make it possible to fully exploit the plant’s property in order to make improvements to the health of people.