Your tendency to spark up a joint or take an edible might be more than a simple craving. A new study suggests that your DNA might be nudging you toward cannabis.
A collaborative, extensive study run by the combined forces of Western University, UC San Diego, and 23andMe—which collectively publish their findings in the journal Molecular Psychiatry—studied the genomes of over 130,000 people. They found two genes that seem to have a say in how often you use cannabis. Those genes are CADM2 and GRM3.
CADM2 handles cell communication, while GRN3 is tied to how your brain learns and adapts over time, and is also known for playing a role in psychiatric disorders. CADM2 had already been associated with cannabis use, but now it’s linked to frequency, too.
GRM3, on the other hand, has never before been linked to cannabis use until now.
The Connection Between Genetics and Weed
Study connected variations in these genes to a grab bag of mental and physical traits in addition to cannabis related habits, including anxiety, depression, cognition, and even diabetes.
None of this is to say that you should blame your genes for your penchant for sparking up. Researchers say that genes only explain about 13 percent of the reason why someone tries cannabis, and just six percent of how often they use it.
Everything else is the environment and the social factors therein.
But the big takeaway isn’t that weed is genetically inevitable—it’s that early cannabis use might be a behavioral flag for deeper stuff going on. Mapping these DNA breadcrumbs could help identify who’s more at risk of developing full-blown cannabis use disorder before it happens.
Your genes might be telling you to roll that joint or hit that bowl, but it’s your life experience and the people who influence you to determine whether or not you’ll take a hit truly.
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