Study: Pain Relieving Effects of Cannabis Stronger for Men than Women
A study published in the September, 2016 issue of the journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence, and epublished ahead of print by the U.S. National Institute of Health, has found that the pain relieving effects of cannabis are significantly stronger on men than on women,
According to the study’s abstract; “This retrospective analysis compared the analgesic, subjective and physiological effects of active cannabis (3.56-5.60% THC) and inactive cannabis (0.00% THC) in male and female cannabis smokers under double-blind, placebo-controlled conditions.”
Pain response was measured using the Cold-Pressor Test (CPT), which is when participants immerse their hand in cold water (39°F), and the time it takes them to report pain (pain sensitivity) and withdraw their hand (pain tolerance) is recorded.
“Among men, active cannabis significantly decreased pain sensitivity relative to inactive cannabis”, states the study. “In women, active cannabis failed to decrease pain sensitivity relative to inactive. Active cannabis increased pain tolerance in both men women immediately after smoking).”
The study concludes; “These results indicate that in cannabis smokers, men exhibit greater cannabis-induced analgesia relative to women.”
The study, conducted at Columbia University Medical Center in New York City, can be found by clicking here.