Q:
I am
writing in response to this: "Q: What has scientific data said
about the effects of marijuana on male fertility? (immediate and long-term
if possible)
A: Human and animal studies have suggested an acute drop in testosterone
levels, and lowered sperm count with more abnormal forms and motility, and
long term there are potential effects such as gynecomastia (male breast
growth) and smaller testicle size. Overall fertility reduction has not been
consistently demonstrated, but is a potential risk for the already
borderline fertile male with low sperm count. ~The Doc"
This response is hugely misleading. The 'studies' that show drops in testosterone levels, lowered sperm count, male breast growth, and smaller testicle size were not cited, so I cannot be sure you are referring to this study, but I take it that you are. This, from Marijuana myths, marijuana facts says of the study:
"In 1974, researchers reported diminished testosterone, reduced sexual function and abnormal sperm cells in males identified as chronic marijuana users. In a laboratory study, the same researchers reported an acute decrease in testosterone, but no chronic effect after nine weeks of smoking; they did not evaluate sperm volume or quality. In other laboratory studies, researchers have been generally unable to replicate these findings, although by administering very high THC doses - up to 20 cigarettes per day for 30 days - one study found a slight decrease in sperm concentrations. In all studies, test results remained within normal ranges and probably would not have affected actual fertility."
Because the amount of THC required for any change at all is so high, smoking marijuana even regularly will not produce harmful effects. Field studies in Jamaica and Costa Rica find no difference between the hormone levels of non-smokers and marijuana smokers. In light of this, I feel the information presented is inaccurate to a large degree.
Thank you for resolving this matter.
A:
It's always helpful to know that the campus has marijuana experts available whenever a question about marijuana risks comes along. I would hope that students would have something more valuable to contribute to the campus community than to support and defend the multibillion dollar marijuana industry, which is unregulated and of course, at this time, illegal. But then I'm only a doctor who deals with the emotional/cognitive and physical fall out of marijuana abuse and dependency, so what would I know?
The fertility issues that have been studied in marijuana users are hardly the most concerning facets of this particular drug, and there are no current controlled clinical trials looking at this issue that I'm aware of. I consider the fertility issues quite minor in the scheme of things, and as you point out, it was a dose related acute phenomenon, and not studied long term. Even so, subfertile males are routinely advised to cease marijuana use by their health care providers, because anecdotally sometimes it makes a difference in achieving a pregnancy. Most of the time it does not. Gynecomastia from marijuana use is routinely seen in our Student Health Center, and resolves with ceasing the drug use--I meet few men who like having tender swollen breast tissue.
Marijuana (or any other drug, whether recreational or prescribed) is a mixed bag (so to speak). There are potential benefits (in the case of marijuana--relaxation, euphoria, improved appetite) and there are risks and hazards which are well documented, including those that are dose related, and all risks and hazards should be weighed in balance with the potential benefits.
I realize that a significant but distinctly minority proportion of the American and Canadian population feels that the benefits of marijuana outweigh the risks or hazards of the drug. As a clinician who sees the effects it can have in many college students, trying to manage the cognitive demands of their coursework, not to mention the emotional rollercoaster of adult relationships, I see the risks outweighing the benefits for many users. You will not find this drug defended here at WWU. I ask a simple question of the people who I see who are willing to talk about their marijuana use: Is this drug so important to your well being that you are willing to tolerate the risks, some known, some unknown? If so, will you continue to use it when you are a parent? Something to think about.
~The Doc
