Myth: Marijuana Interferes With Male and Female Sex Hormones

In both men and women, marijuana can cause infertility. Marijuana retards sexual development in adolescents. It produces feminine characteristics in males and masculine characteristics in females.

Fact: There is no evidence that marijuana causes infertility in men or women. In animal studies, high doses of THC diminish the production of some sex hormones and can impair reproduction. However, most studies of humans have found that marijuana has no impact of sex hormones. In those studies showing an impact, it is modest, temporary, and of no apparent consequence for reproduction. There is no scientific evidence that marijuana delays adolescent sexual development, has feminizing effect on males, or a masculinizing effect on females.

• Parents Resource Institute for Drug Education. Marijuana and Cocaine. Atlanta, GA: PRIDE, 1990.

• Center for Substance Abuse Prevention. Female Adolescents and Marijuana Use; Fact Sheet for Adults. Rockville: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 1995.

• Center for Substance Abuse Prevention. Marijuana: Tips for Teens. Rockville: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 1995.

• Swan, Neil. “A Look at Marijuana’s Harmful Effects.” NIDA Notes. 9:2 (1994): 16.

• Clinton, President Bill. Speech at Framingham High School. Framingham, Massachusetts. 20 Oct. 1994.