Marijuana use could lead to sexual dysfunction in men
February 12th, 2011 - 3:56 pm ICT by ANIWashington, Feb 12 (ANI): A new study on the effects of marijuana on sexual health has suggested that men could be courting sexual dysfunction from smoking it.
Study researcher Rany Shamloul, a physician with appointments at the University of Ottawa and Queen’s University in Canada as well as the University of Cairo, conducted the study.
According to LiveScience, Shamloul said that even though research on the topic is contradictory, a recent study, including the finding that the penis contains receptors for marijuana’s active ingredient, should make young men think of the long-term effects before rolling a joint.
“It’s a strong message to our younger generations and younger men,” Fox News quoted Shamloul as saying.
Scientists first began to study marijuana and sex in the 1970s, and some researchers found that cannabis seemed to have the effect of a love drug.
In one 1982 study published in the Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, 75 percent of male pot smokers said the drug enhanced their sex lives.
Meanwhile, another study published in the same journal the same year found that erectile dysfunction was twice as common in marijuana.
Other research suggests a dose effect, in which small amounts of marijuana have little impact on sexual dysfunction, but more marijuana makes for fewer erections.
But problems are rife with this research, Shamloul said, because none of the studies used validated measurement techniques when surveying men about their sexual function.
What most concerns Shamloul is a study published in 2010 in the journal European Urology.
In that study, researchers found receptors for tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the active ingredient in marijuana, in penis tissue from five male patients and six rhesus monkeys.
These receptors were mainly in the smooth muscle of the penis, Shamloul said. Additional lab studies suggest that THC has an inhibitory effect on the muscle.
“This is a more serious effect on the erectile function because the smooth muscle makes up 70 percent to 80 percent of the penis itself,” Shamloul said.
Shamloul reported his findings online in the Journal of Sexual Medicine. (ANI)
- Prescription marijuana without memory loss on horizon - Mar 03, 2012
- Cannabis ingredient 'can boost cancer patients' appetites, sense of taste' - Feb 23, 2011
- Cannabis-like drugs 'could provide pain relief without the high' - Apr 04, 2011
- Spider venom 'could be the new Viagra' - Mar 08, 2011
- Key ingredient dilutes marijuana's effect on memory - Oct 02, 2010
- Brazil spider's venom could help in man's sexual life - Aug 30, 2012
- Key ingredient makes marijuana cause memory loss - Oct 05, 2010
- Marijuana causes testicular cancer - Sep 10, 2012
- Erectile dysfunction a sign of heart disease: Study - Jun 21, 2010
- Common hair loss drugs 'may impair men's sexual health' - Mar 19, 2011
- Marijuana compounds may help fight brain cancer - Jan 16, 2010
- Hair loss drug may result in loss of libido in men - Jan 12, 2011
- Why some mental disorders are more prevalent in males - Nov 18, 2010
- Depressed men with erectile dysfunction face cardio problems - Jul 14, 2010
- Non-invasive extenders better than surgery for men who want longer penis - Apr 19, 2011
Tags: active ingredient in marijuana, effects of marijuana, european urology, fox news, inhibitory effect, journal of psychoactive drugs, male patients, measurement techniques, pot smokers, rany, rhesus monkeys, s university, sexual dysfunction, sexual function, study researchers, tetrahydrocannabinol thc, university in canada, university of cairo, university of ottawa, younger men