Straight Talk on Marijuana and Fertility

Research has shown time and time again that marijuana is harmful to fertility. A new study, however, may lead some men to believe that lighting up can instead boost the chances of becoming a dad.

An article from SFGate reported recently — and erroneously — that marijuana could help fertility. In fact, however, it is the cannabinoid receptor, not the marijuana itself, that affects fertility.

The new study, cited in The FASEB Journal, states that a cannabinoid receptor in the brain known as CB2 helps regulate sperm creation. What the report does not say is that smoking pot will not improve fertility. It’s understanding the receptor’s role that could instead help with fertility treatments.

Dr. Paola Grimaldi, a researcher from the University of Rome Tor Vergata, said in a statement that she conducted the study to look at ways to improve fertility.

[lz_ndn video =30602014]

Her team studied mice over the span of 14 to 21 days. They put them into three groups: The first was treated with a CB2 receptor activator; the second group was treated with a CB2 inhibitor; and the third group received just saline.

The group that got the CB2 activator (not marijuana) showed an acceleration of spermatogenesis — the process of sperm production. The group that received the inhibitor showed a slower sperm production rate.

[lz_bulleted_list title=”Other Pot ‘Facts’ that Are Just Not True” source=”http://www.ncjrs.gov”]Marijuana is a magical drug and totally safe|Marijuana laws keep kids from smoking|Marijuana is safer to smoke than cigarettes[/lz_bulleted_list]

Again, marijuana was not what activated the receptors. When marijuana does activate receptors, those receptors change the way the body functions. If researchers could somehow harness other ways to activate CB2, however, that is what could hold promise in fertility treatments.

Dr. Kevin A. Sabet, director of the Drug Policy Institute and an assistant professor at the University of Florida, College of Medicine, said research has proven that marijuana has negative effects on sperm size and count. It can also impair a man’s ability to ejaculate.

“The research is almost universal about the multiple ways marijuana ultimately affects fertility,” he told LifeZette.

Sabet pointed out that CB2 influences immunity and inflammation. CB1 is the other cannabinoid receptor in the brain responsible for mood, pain, and appetite. CB1 is responsible for marijuana’s psychoactive effects.

“Top to bottom, marijuana is not good for fertility,” he said.

“There’s nothing in this article that should be construed as ‘smoking pot is good for fertility,'” Sabet said of the report.