The genetic basis of the human-cannabis relationship

Abstract

Cannabis can elicit various reactions in different consumers. In order to shed light on the mechanisms underlying the human-cannabis relationship, we begin to investigate the genetic basis of this differential response. The web-based platform OpenSNP was used to collect selfreported genetic and phenotypic data. Participants either reported a positively or negative affinity to cannabis. A total of 26 individuals were retained, 10 of which indicated several negative responses and the remaining 16 indicating strong affinity for Cannabis. A total of 325895 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were retained. The software TASSEL 5 was used to run a genome-wide association study (GWAS), with a generalized liner model (GLM) and1000 permutations. The analysis yielded a set of 45 SNPs that were significantly associated with the reported affinity to cannabis, including one strong outlier found in the MYO16 gene. A diagnostic process is proposed by which individuals can be assessed for their affinity to cannabis. We believe this type of tool may be helpful in alleviating some of the stigma associated with cannabis use in individuals sensitive to THC and other cannabis constituents such as myrcene, which may potentiate negative responses.