CANNABIS may slow down sperm, says Herbert Schuel of the State University of
New York at Buffalo. This could explain reports of low fertility among men who
smoke a lot of marijuana.
Schuel’s team treated sperm in a test tube with a synthetic
anandamide—a chemical very similar to the active ingredient of cannabis.
Low levels sent sperm swimming into overdrive, but higher levels slowed their
motion to a lazy crawl. The chemical also inhibited the ability of the sperm to
bind to the egg and penetrate it. “It really stops them cold,” Schuel says.
Natural anandamides are present in…
