{"id":49996,"date":"2020-02-14T18:15:39","date_gmt":"2020-02-14T18:15:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/merryjane.com\/women-like-weed-more-than-men-do-new-study-suggests\/"},"modified":"2020-02-14T18:15:39","modified_gmt":"2020-02-14T18:15:39","slug":"women-like-weed-more-than-men-do-new-study-suggests","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/merryjane.com\/news\/women-like-weed-more-than-men-do-new-study-suggests\/","title":{"rendered":"Women Like Weed More Than Men Do, New Study Suggests"},"content":{"rendered":"

An intriguing new research study suggests that a genetic variation could cause a small percentage of young women<\/u><\/a> to have a higher risk of becoming dependent on weed than men.<\/p>\n

The study, published in <\/u>Science Advances<\/em><\/u><\/a> this week, found that adolescent female mice that have a common gene variation are more susceptible to THC dependency than males. Researchers from the Weill Cornell Medical College undertook this study to explore whether genetic variations in the body’s endocannabinoid system could explain why some individuals struggle with cannabis dependency<\/u><\/a>, while most do not.<\/p>\n

The endocannabinoid system<\/u><\/a> (ECS) is one of the body’s most important regulatory systems, maintaining a natural balance<\/u><\/a> that helps regulate appetite, immune response, learning, and many other important functions. The ECS contains natural endocannabinoids, similar to those found in the cannabis plant, that interact with receptors found throughout the body.<\/p>\n

One of the most important endocannabinoids is anandamide<\/u><\/a> (AEA), which is regulated by an enzyme called fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH). Researchers discovered that FAAH plays a role in addictive behaviors<\/u><\/a>, and previous studies have shown that artificially changing FAAH levels in mice can make them more susceptible to becoming addicted to cocaine or other drugs.<\/p>\n

About 38 percent of all humans of European descent have a genetic variation that destabilizes FAAH, leading to increased AEA levels in the brain. Some mice also have this variant, which makes them an ideal population to investigate. <\/p>\n

The present study exposed two groups of adolescent mice \u2014 one with the FAAH variation and one without \u2014 to THC, and found that female mice carrying the gene variant showed a higher preference for THC than those without the gene. Male mice, even those carrying the gene variant, did not show any increased interest in getting high, however.<\/p>\n