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A Washington State University study shows that female mice are more susceptible to the pain-relieving qualities of cannabis than male mice, but that increased sensitivity means the female mice also developed a higher tolerance faster than the males.
The study could provide valuable insight into future testing of cannabis use, which has predominantly been done on men.
While the study is interesting though, it is important to keep in mind that it was conducted on mice. No actual humans were studied for the report. Researcher Rebecca Craft says that other studies have shown that “withdrawal symptoms” like irritability, lack of sleep and lowered appetite seem to be worse in women. She says female rats have also shown increased sensitivity when they are ovulating and the monthly boost in estrogen levels is starting to decline. Craft says that male mice were more sensitive to increased appetite than female mice. They got the munchies more often, basically.
All interesting. But then she dives into addiction talk, because this was published in a journal specifically aimed at Drug and Alcohol Dependence and the National Institute on Drug Abuse funded the study. And it seems government money only ever goes to showing how scary and bad marijuana can be.
“Marijuana is very different than it was 40 years ago,” Craft said in a WSU release. “It’s much higher in THC and lower in cannabidiol, so a little bit goes a very long way. We’re more likely to see negative side effects today like anxiety, confusion, panic attacks, hallucinations or extreme paranoia. And women are at higher risk.”