LOS ANGELES, Calif. (WOWO) — Men who use marijuana occasionally may experience a stronger high, greater impairment and more unpleasant side effects than women who use cannabis at similar rates, according to new research from UCLA. The study, published in the journal Neuropsychopharmacology, examin ed 44 healthy adults between 21 and 55 years old. Researchers divided the participants evenly between men and women and grouped them according to whether they used cannabis frequently or occasionally. Each participant completed three separate sessions, smoking cannabis containing no THC, a lower dose of THC or a higher dose. Participants did not know which amount they were receiving. Among occasional users, men reported feeling more intoxicated, sedated and impaired than women. They also experienced more anxiety and a significantly greater increase in heart rate after using cannabis. The differences were not explained by blood THC levels. Men and women who used cannabis occasionally had similar peak concentrations of THC in their blood, even though men reported stronger effects. The results were different among frequent cannabis users. Men and women in that group generally responded similarly to active cannabis. Frequent users, regardless of sex, were also more likely to enjoy the effects, want to use cannabis again and choose to consume more during the study. The findings challenge some earlier research suggesting women may be more sensitive to marijuana’s effects. 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 came from animal research and human studies that combined data from separate trials. Cooper said researchers examined sex and frequency of cannabis use together and accounted for hormonal factors, including menstrual-cycle timing among female participants who were not using hormonal birth control. Lead author Dr. Stephanie Lake said both sex and a person’s history of cannabis use can influence how they experience the drug. She said examining those factors together could help researchers better understand who may be at greater risk of unpleasant effects, as well as potentially beneficial experiences. The researchers cautioned that the study was small, involving only 44 people. Some findings involving occasional male users came from exploratory analyses and need to be confirmed in larger studies. The cannabis used in the experiment contained THC concentrations of 4% and 10%. Researchers noted that many products sold today contain concentrations of 20% or higher, meaning the study’s results may not fully reflect the effects of more potent products. Researchers say additional studies are needed to determine whether men and women develop tolerance to cannabis differently and whether those differences affect the risk of cannabis use disorder. The post Marijuana Study Finds Differences in Anxiety, Heart Rate and Impairment Between Men and Women appeared first on WOWO News/Talk 92.3 FM and 1190 AM. ...read more read less