Do Cannabis Users Have More Sex?
Instead of lighting candles to set the mood, sparking a joint might do the trick. A new study from the United States found that regular marijuana users were actually having more sex than nonsmokers. Research for the study, conducted by Dr. Michael Eisenberg and Dr. A.J. Sun, started in 2002 and continued until 2015.
The study sought to “elucidate whether a relation between marijuana use and sexual frequency exists using a nationally representative sample of reproductive-age men and women.” Its findings were recently published in the Journal of Sexual Medicine and have some pretty interesting results.
Get high to get busy?
Despite the widespread use of marijuana in North America, studies on the drug’s effects on sexual function are “unclear, with contradictory reports of enhancement and detriment,” according to Eisenberg and Sun. The latter based their study on data from the National Survey of Family Growth to see if there was a relationship between cannabis use and sex.
“Usually, people assume the more frequently you smoke, the worse it could be when it came to sex, but in fact, we learned the opposite was true,” Eisenberg told CNN in October.
More than 28,000 women and more than 22,900 men were asked how often they had sex in the four weeks prior to the survey, as well as how often they smoked that year. The average age of the participants was around 29 years old and more than 60 percent of the participants said they were Caucasian. Seventy-six percent of the men and 80 percent of the women reported that they had at least a high school education.
When it came down to having sex, both men and women who said they used marijuana had “significantly higher sexual frequency compared with never users.” Female pot smokers reported having sex an average of 7.1 times in the four-week period, while women who didn’t smoke reported six times. Men who lit up also had an increased sex life, reporting they did the deed 6.9 times as opposed to 5.6 times for those who didn’t smoke.
“We were surprised to see the positive association between users,” Eisenberg told CNN. “This was across the board: marital status, race, none of that mattered.”
Lighting up won’t make you go limp
An earlier report published in 2013 showed that pot could help with impotence and other sexual dysfunctions in mice. Although this hasn’t been tested in people, smoking or ingesting cannabis could be a solution to issues like erectile dysfunction. Marijuana has also been reported to be therapeutic and to have aphrodisiac effects, according to a 2017 study. In fact, marijuana could also help people de-stress before getting between the sheets, making the experience more pleasurable. The 2017 study discovered around half the people involved said cannabis had an aphrodisiac effect—but even more of them (around 70 percent) reported an “enhancement in pleasure and satisfaction.”
Should you pass the dutchie before you hook up?
The study’s findings contradict other research, which states that marijuana use can have negative effects on sexual functions and experiences. A report released in 2016 said marijuana (and alcohol) users “had a variety of negative sexual effects, and the illegality of marijuana reportedly facilitated intimate encounters.” However, more studies are needed for more definite results.
The Eisenberg and Sun report concluded that although they found a positive association between marijuana use and sexual frequency, “the effects of marijuana use on sexual function warrant further study.”
Interested in exploring your medical cannabis options for libido or mood? Book a free consultation with a Natural Care prescriber today, or call 1-888-671-8022 with your questions.