{"id":20212,"date":"2025-11-08T17:27:21","date_gmt":"2025-11-08T16:27:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/?p=20212"},"modified":"2026-01-11T18:06:36","modified_gmt":"2026-01-11T17:06:36","slug":"cannabis-use-is-linked-to-epigenetic-changes-scientists-discovered","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/2025\/11\/cannabis-use-is-linked-to-epigenetic-changes-scientists-discovered\/","title":{"rendered":"Cannabis Use Is Linked to Epigenetic Changes, Scientists Discovered"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"block h-[30px] w-auto dark:hidden\" style=\"color: #0000ff; font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/AKJRjF9T1UObN0iLEv5hYA--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTIxNjtoPTYwO2NmPXdlYnA-\/https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/os\/creatr-uploaded-images\/2024-05\/c53f8f00-17ae-11ef-b7bd-58baaf2d62a4\" alt=\"ScienceAlert\" width=\"108\" height=\"30\" data-nimg=\"1\" \/><\/p>\n<header class=\"mb-5 md:max-w-[750px] lg:mb-8\">\n<div class=\"flex\">\n<div class=\"relative\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">by Rebecca Dyer &#8211; Sat, November 1, 2025<\/span><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"max-w-screen-sm mx-auto\">\n<div class=\"relative mb-6 aisummary_shadowPulse__HDPrM\" style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<div class=\"box-content rounded-[14px] bg-gradient-to-b from-[#c938e3] to-[#4941fb] p-0.5\">\n<div class=\"rounded-xl bg-[#fcfbfb] dark:bg-inkwell px-5\">\n<div class=\"relative flex justify-between py-5 text-base font-semibold\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">Cannabis use may leave lasting fingerprints on the human body, a study of over 1,000 adults published in 2023 suggests \u2013 not in our DNA code itself, but in how that code is expressed.<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"\" data-article-body=\"true\">\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">US researchers found it may cause changes in the\u00a0epigenome, which acts like a set of switches that activate or deactivate genes involved in how our bodies function; findings that were validated by a systematic literature review\u00a0published in 2024\u00a0by researchers in Portugal.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">&#8220;We observed associations between cumulative marijuana use and multiple epigenetic markers across time,&#8221; epidemiologist Lifang Hou from Northwestern University\u00a0explained\u00a0of his team&#8217;s findings in 2023.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">Cannabis\u00a0is a\u00a0commonly used substance in the US, with nearly half of Americans having tried it at least once, Hou and team report in their\u00a0published paper.<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"mb-4 hidden pb-5 md:block\" style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<div class=\"flex w-full flex-nowrap justify-center\">\n<div id=\"_R_4hhp56mhek5clubsnm6jbH1_\" class=\"flex ad-container\">\n<div id=\"_R_4hhp56mhek5clubsnm6jb_\" class=\"flex\" data-google-query-id=\"CKD5pfSE1JADFdGVUAYdWAos1A\">\n<div id=\"google_ads_iframe_\/22888152279\/us\/ynews\/ros\/dt\/us_ynews_ros_dt_mid_center_0__container__\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">Some US states and other countries\u00a0have made cannabis use legal, but we still\u00a0don&#8217;t fully understand\u00a0its\u00a0effects on our health.<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">To investigate this, the researchers analyzed data from a long-running health study that had tracked around 1,000 adults over two decades.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">Participants, who were between 18 and 30 years old when the study began, were surveyed about their cannabis use over the years and gave blood samples at the 15- and 20-year marks.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">Using these blood samples from five years apart, Hou and her team looked at the\u00a0epigenetic changes, specifically\u00a0DNA methylation\u00a0levels, of people who had used cannabis recently or for a long time.<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"mb-4 hidden pb-5 md:block\" style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<div class=\"flex w-full flex-nowrap justify-center\">\n<div id=\"_R_4ipp56mhek5clubsnm6jbH1_\" class=\"flex ad-container\">\n<div id=\"_R_4ipp56mhek5clubsnm6jb_\" class=\"flex\" data-google-query-id=\"CIr48IqF1JADFYmCUAYdW60DXg\">\n<div id=\"google_ads_iframe_\/22888152279\/us\/ynews\/ros\/dt\/us_ynews_ros_dt_mid_center_7__container__\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">The addition or removal of methyl groups\u00a0from DNA is one of the most studied epigenetic modifications.<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<figure class=\"relative mb-4\" style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<div class=\"relative\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/2025\/11\/cannabis-use-is-linked-to-epigenetic-changes-scientists-discovered\/chromosome-structure\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-20226\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-20226\" src=\"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Chromosome-structure.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"802\" height=\"553\" srcset=\"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Chromosome-structure.jpg 802w, https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Chromosome-structure-640x441.jpg 640w, https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Chromosome-structure-768x530.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 802px) 100vw, 802px\" \/><\/a><\/span><\/div><figcaption class=\"relative text-sm mt-1 pr-2.5\">\n<div><em><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">When epigenetic factors, which can come from other genes or the environment inside a cell or beyond, recruit<\/span><\/em><\/div>\n<div><em><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\"> a methyl group, it changes the expression of our genes. (ttsz\/iStock\/Getty Images)<\/span><\/em><\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">Without changing the genomic sequence, DNA methylation affects how easily cells &#8216;read&#8217; and interpret genes, much like someone covering up key lines in your set of instructions.<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"mb-4\" style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<div id=\"recirc-d3c3394c-4882-308d-a2ff-88780e8469ee\" class=\"mb-4\">\n<div class=\"grid gap-4 lg:grid-cols-2 lg:grid-rows-[auto_auto_1fr]\">\n<div class=\"relative w-full\">\n<div class=\"relative hidden md:flex\">\n<div class=\"grow\">\n<div class=\"h-4 bg-dirty-seagull dark:bg-ramones w-2\/5\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">Environmental and lifestyle factors can trigger these methylation changes, which can be passed to future generations, and blood\u00a0biomarkers\u00a0can provide information about both recent and historical exposures.<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">&#8220;We previously identified associations between marijuana use and the aging process as captured through DNA methylation,&#8221; Hou\u00a0said.<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"mb-4 hidden pb-5 md:block\" style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<div class=\"flex w-full flex-nowrap justify-center\">\n<div id=\"_R_4khp56mhek5clubsnm6jbH1_\" class=\"flex ad-container\">\n<div id=\"_R_4khp56mhek5clubsnm6jb_\" class=\"flex\" data-google-query-id=\"CKL5pfSE1JADFdGVUAYdWAos1A\">\n<div id=\"google_ads_iframe_\/22888152279\/us\/ynews\/ros\/dt\/us_ynews_ros_dt_mid_center_2__container__\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">&#8220;We wanted to further explore whether specific epigenetic factors were associated with marijuana and whether these factors are related to health outcomes.&#8221;<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">The comprehensive data on the participants&#8217; cannabis use allowed the researchers to estimate cumulative use over time as well as recent use and compare it with DNA methylation markers in their blood for analysis.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">They found numerous DNA methylation markers in the 15-year blood samples, 22 that were associated with recent use, and 31 associated with cumulative cannabis use.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">In the samples taken at the 20-year point, they identified 132 markers linked to recent use and 16 linked to cumulative use.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">&#8220;Interestingly, we consistently identified one marker that has previously been associated with tobacco use,&#8221; Hou\u00a0explained, &#8220;suggesting a potential shared epigenetic regulation between tobacco and marijuana use.&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"max-md:faux-bleed mb-4 bg-marshmallow pb-5 dark:bg-ramones md:invisible md:mb-0 md:h-0 md:overflow-hidden md:pb-0\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"mb-4 hidden pb-5 md:block\" style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<div class=\"flex w-full flex-nowrap justify-center\">\n<div id=\"_R_4mhp56mhek5clubsnm6jbH1_\" class=\"flex ad-container\">\n<div id=\"_R_4mhp56mhek5clubsnm6jb_\" class=\"flex\" data-google-query-id=\"CKP5pfSE1JADFdGVUAYdWAos1A\">\n<div id=\"google_ads_iframe_\/22888152279\/us\/ynews\/ros\/dt\/us_ynews_ros_dt_mid_center_3__container__\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">Multiple epigenetic changes associated with cannabis use had previously been linked to things like cellular proliferation,\u00a0hormone signaling, infections, neurological disorders like\u00a0schizophrenia\u00a0and\u00a0bipolar disorder, and\u00a0substance use disorders.<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">It&#8217;s important to note that this study doesn&#8217;t prove that cannabis directly causes these changes or causes health problems.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">&#8220;This research has provided novel insights into the association between marijuana use and epigenetic factors,&#8221;\u00a0said\u00a0epidemiologist Drew Nannini from Northwestern University.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">&#8220;Additional studies are needed to determine whether these associations are consistently observed in different populations. Moreover, studies examining the effect of marijuana on age-related health outcomes may provide further insight into the long-term effect of marijuana on health.&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">Source: https:\/\/www.yahoo.com\/news\/articles\/cannabis-linked-epigenetic-changes-scientists-215447890.html?<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>by Rebecca Dyer &#8211; Sat, November 1, 2025 Cannabis use may leave lasting fingerprints on the human body, a study of over 1,000 adults published in 2023 suggests \u2013 not in our DNA code itself, but in how that code is expressed. US researchers found it may cause changes in the\u00a0epigenome, which acts like a [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15,30,121,64],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-20212","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-australia","category-cannabis-marijuana","category-genes","category-health"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20212","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=20212"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20212\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":20229,"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20212\/revisions\/20229"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20212"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20212"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20212"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}