Sex differences in age-related patterns of cannabis use disorder symptoms and mental health.

Background: The primary psychoactive ingredient in cannabis interacts with the endocannabinoid system, which declines with age and may alter cannabis-related effects in older adults. Animal studies suggest age-related differences in cannabis responses, though findings are mixed. Importantly, biological sex modifies the endocannabinoid system, which complicates interpreting age-related effects.Objective: This study examined how age and sex jointly influence cannabis-related outcomes in middle-aged and older adults.Methods: Self-reported measures of cannabis use behaviors, memory, mental and physical health, cannabis use disorder (CUD) symptom severity, and sleep quality were collected from 107 adults (age range = 35-78, 54 females) who use cannabis. Partial correlations examined associations between age and outcomes controlling for years of use. Self-reported biological sex was assessed as a moderator.Results: Regression analyses revealed a significant age × sex interaction for both CUD symptoms and mental health scores. Among females, CUD symptom severity decreased with age (b = -0.20, p = .03), and mental health scores improved (b = 0.59, p = .04); these age-related effects were not observed in males. Sensitivity analyses suggested that participants reporting medical-only cannabis use may exhibit a steeper age-related decline in CUD symptom severity than those reporting recreational-only use (b = 1.31, 95% CrI: -1.99 to 4.54) or hybrid use (b = 0.62, 95% CrI: -2.76 to 3.98).Conclusions: These findings suggest that factors such as sex and reason for cannabis use may be important for understanding cannabis safety profiles in aging populations and may inform individualized clinical care.
Mental Health
Care/Management

Authors

Poelker-Wells Poelker-Wells, Fearon-Drake Fearon-Drake, Filbey Filbey
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