Health · Medical Research · 1 hr ago
Study finds occasional male cannabis users report stronger effects
A UCLA Health study of 44 adults examined how cannabis affects men and women who use it occasionally or frequently.
Participants each smoked cannabis in three sessions, with no THC, a lower amount or a higher amount, without knowing which they received.
Among occasional users, men reported feeling more high, sedated and impaired than women, and also reported more anxiety.
Their heart rates rose significantly after active cannabis, though men and women had similar peak THC levels.
Frequent users responded similarly by gender and were more likely than occasional users to say they liked the effects, wanted to use cannabis again and chose to take more.
The findings suggest use history may shape cannabis effects, but the study was small, and the tested THC strengths were lower than those commonly found in products sold today.
A small UCLA Health study found that men who used cannabis occasionally reported stronger effects than women with similar use habits.
Occasional-use men reported feeling more high, sedated and impaired, and reported more unpleasant effects, including anxiety.
Their heart rates rose significantly after using active cannabis, although men and women in this group had similar peak THC levels.
Men and women who used cannabis frequently generally responded similarly to active cannabis.
The study included 44 healthy adults and was published in Neuropsychopharmacology.
- Who
- UCLA Health researchers studied 44 healthy adults, evenly split between men and women.
- What
- The study examined how cannabis effects differed by sex and frequency of use.
- When
- Published November 9, 2026. The study date is not stated.
- Where
- Not stated.
- Why
- Researchers sought to understand how sex and cannabis-use history shape people’s responses to cannabis.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Each participant took part in three sessions, smoking cannabis with no THC, a lower amount of THC or a higher amount without knowing which they received.
Researchers found that occasional-use men reported stronger effects than women with similar use habits, while frequent-use men and women generally responded similarly.
Fox News published its report on the study.
- Participants
- 44 healthy adults, ages 21 to 55
- Participant split
- 22 men and 22 women
- Journal
- Neuropsychopharmacology
- Occasional-use finding
- Men reported stronger effects than women with similar use habits
- Frequent-use finding
- Men and women generally responded similarly to active cannabis
What people are saying
Much of what we thought we knew about sex differences in cannabis effects came from animal research and from human studies that pooled data from different trials
Sex and cannabis use history can both shape how someone experiences the effects of cannabis