Cannabis use varies across gender. What’s more, gender norms can increase the risk for cannabis-related harms.

How do sex and gender influence the use and health effects of cannabis?

Activity steps
  1. Divide the group into teams of up to 4 youth and invite them to discuss these questions: 
    • What, if anything, is the difference between the way different genders think about cannabis use?
    • What makes you think that?
  2. Ask representatives of each team to share their insights and jot them on the whiteboard. Draw attention to similarities and differences among the team answers.
  3. Share the Cannabis Perceptions infographic (share link or make copies for each team) and encourage participants to make comments or ask questions. You might ask:
    • Does anything surprise you? If so, what, and why?
    • What, if anything, is missing that you’d like to know?
  4. Assign each team a Support Project, based on one of the 4 recommendations in the infographic around gender considerations. You may also want to include more recommendations for other genders based on the youth conversations around Q. 4.
  5. Invite teams to research and come up with strategies for implementing the recommendation assigned to them around supporting youth based on gender.
  6. Give participants a working timeline and date for sharing their thoughts and recommendations.