Understanding the Effects of Marijuana (cannabis) on Male Reproduction

Abstract

In recent years, there has been much research conducted regarding the alleged adverse effects of marijuana (cannabis) on male fertility. This thesis will discuss: 1) spermatogenesis and the factors regulating male fertility, 2) the chemistry, history, and use of marijuana, and 3) the biological makeup of Endo-cannabinoid as a regulator of male fertility. The research, although abstract in some details, is sufficiently concrete to conclude that consuming marijuana (cannabis) can adversely affect a male’s capacity to reproduce. Marijuana can be detrimental to spermatogenesis, the process of sperm production, and to sperm motility during ejaculation, the process by which sperm travel to the female egg. As a result, marijuana is likely to adversely affect male fertility at multiple levels.