Does Weed Affect Women Different Than Men?

4. Cannabis Makes Women Forget and Want Sex

Studies found women experience acute effects of marijuana on the brain, different from men. Endocannabinoids, the receptors for cannabinoids in our brains, have effects on behavior and the hippocampus.

The hippocampus is the region of the brain for short-term and longer term memory and cognition. Turns out, women are more likely to temporarily impair this region when smoking marijuana. This also explains why women tend to experience dizziness when using cannabis. Visuospatial memory, what allows you to make maps in your head and recall directions and locations, becomes jumbled for women.

Likewise, estrogen interferes with the endocannabinoid system in women. Smoking cannabis increases the level of endocannabinoid receptors during ovulation. In the few days before and after a woman is ovulating, small doses of cannabis (14% THC) increases sexual appetite. On the opposite side, larger doses of cannabis during this time will decrease women’s sexual appetite.