Study: Not Many Differences Between Male and Female Cannabis Use
A Washington State University study has found that men use more cannabis more often than women, and that males and females prefer different delivery methods — but the conditions for which cannabis therapies are used are much the same.
Of the 1,364 men surveyed, 10 percent indicated they use cannabis “all day everyday,” compared to 7 percent of the 1,004 female respondents. About 43 percent of respondents from each sex indicated using one to four times per week. About two percent of both males and females reported consuming more than 1 ounce per week, while 25 percent of females and 16 percent of males reported use of less than 1gram.
Men reported they were more likely to partake using joints, blunts, vaporizers, and concentrates; women were more likely to use pipes and edibles, including tinctures and capsules.
About 70 percent of men and 68 percent of women surveyed believed cannabis is not addictive; however some respondents indicated having withdrawal symptoms upon reducing or stopping cannabis use. Symptoms of irritability, appetite loss, anxiety, and vivid dreams were the most commonly reported.
The majority surveyed indicated using cannabis therapies to treat anxiety, depression, nausea, and pain.
In a “novel and somewhat surprising” finding, men were more likely to report altered time perception, increased musicality, and enthusiasm when high; women were more likely to report “a desire to clean.”
“[This] likely reflects the fact that women are more likely to be responsible for cleaning duties,” according to the study authors. “It is also possible that some women interpreted this item to include personal cleaning and self-care, which in general women are also likely to perform more frequently.”
The report cautions that generalizations should not be made due to their study results, which they say could be used to “guide future research on biological and psychosocial mechanisms” and might help clinicians treat individuals with “cannabis use disorders.”
