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Barbara Santini
Psychologist and Sex and Relationships Advisor

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Veronika Matutyte
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Katie Lasson
Sex and Relationship Adviser

Do you know weed can positively and negatively affect your sex life? Here are the effects of weed or cannabis; cannabis and sex, sexual frequency, sexual function in women and men, and what to know before mixing cannabis and sex.

Cannabis has a bit of a mixed reputation when it comes to sex. It's reported to enhance sexual function. It has been said to be a traditional herbal with nearly mythical libido-boosting power, contributes to erectile dysfunction and premature ejaculation, and reduces sperm count. It has also shown that subjective and physiological indices of sexual arousal and motivation were associated with decreased availability of circulating endocannabinoid concentrations. The reality is far more complicated than any of those assumptions. Below is the compiled detail known and unknown about how cannabis affects sex.

Cannabis and Sex

When scientists do their research, they examine sexual enjoyment. They made different aspects of attraction, orgasm, arousal, and satisfaction. But even if these things are accounted for, sex has different meanings to people. So you'll find it difficult to interpret the results that are found. Most of what we know about cannabis and sex comes from a survey. According to Campbell et al. (2018), cannabis is alleged to help with pain and anxiety, so it makes sense it can also enhance sex indirectly for some people affecting those other issues. Your body makes its natural version of cannabinoids. Significant receptors for those compounds in the brain deal with sexual functions, such as the hypothalamus and amygdala. The cannabinoid is released in humans after the orgasm, and the compounds are involved in normal sexual processes. Cannabis opens blood vessels and increases blood flow. According to Ketcherside et al. ((2017), it directly affects the cannabinoid receptors in the nerve and skin pathways involved in perceiving pain. It also affects higher-order functions, including the feeling of fear and anxiety and memory. This is how it contributes to better sex for some people, but there's no full understanding that has been concluded.

Sexual Frequency

Female and male cannabis users had more monthly and daily sex than those who had never used it. Ryan et al. (2021) stated that a higher level of marijuana increases coital frequency. Cannabis use is independently associated with increased sexual frequency and does not impair sexual frequency.

Sexual Function In Women

Women's satisfaction levels are based on orgasm, lubrication, dyspareunia, drive, sexual experience, and frequency of cannabis use. Participants reported that using cannabis before sex with nothing increases sex drive, decreases pain, and improves orgasm. Those who use cannabis before sex have a higher odds of reporting a satisfactory orgasm than those who don't use it. After adjusting for race and age, those who use it frequently had a higher rate of satisfactory orgasm than infrequent users, regardless of whether it was before sex.

Multiple mechanisms influence the effects of cannabis on women. According to Salman et al. (2010), cannabis and the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis, which regulates sex hormones, interact. There are cannabinoid receptors in the hypothalamus control gonadotropin-releasing hormones and oxytocin release, which contribute to normal sexual function in unrealized ways. It is postulated that it improves sexual functions by lowering stress and anxiety, but how it leads to positive changes in sexual functions is unknown. It lowers sexual inhibitions and increases confidence and willingness to experiment. It slows the temporal perception of time and prolongs the feeling of pleasant sensations. Cannabis also heightens smell, taste, sight, hearing, and touch sensations. One is a heightened sense of touch, which increases physical closeness when you use cannabis.

Sexual Function In Men

What is good for women may be bad for men. Cannabis use may cause erectile dysfunction in men. The odds ratio of erectile dysfunction in cannabis users is four times that of the controlled users. The rate of erectile dysfunction in male users is nearly twice that of those who abstain from the drug. Erectile dysfunction and cannabis use are likely a mix of psychological factors and organic factors. A possible mechanism is attributed to the endocannabinoid system through the binding of receptors in the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus, which regulates erectile functions and the sexual behavior of males. The mechanism could also explain why cannabis improves sexual function in some patients with symptoms such as depression, pain, and anxiety disorder. There are peripheral effects of cannabis on erectile dysfunction where cannabinoid receptors are present. The frequent use of cannabis can cause undesirable effects; among heavy chronic cannabis users, the drug can negatively affect sperm production when used more than once a week.

What To Know Before Mixing Cannabis and Sex

Cannabis is a drug, and people react differently to it. If it's your first time using cannabis, it's important to start low, go slow, and take precautions to make sure you have an enjoyable and safe experience possible. Cannabis is legal for medical reasons, but it's illegal federally. Therefore, there is a legal risk in using cannabis for any reason. Try cannabis on your own before incorporating it into your partner. First-time users of cannabis use it for masturbation events only. That's why you will know how you react to cannabis and how it affects your level of arousal and your orgasm before bringing in a partner. In other cases, cannabis increases anxiety and paranoia; if this happens, ensure you have a trusted partner to help you calm down. When ready to use cannabis to enhance your sexual experience, make your boundaries known and consent for anything you do. Knowing if you're using cannabis to enhance your sexual experience or to help manage a diagnosable sexual dysfunction is important. There are side effects with all drugs and potential side effects with cannabis.

Conclusion

Cannabis can help some people relax and increase the feeling intensity, thus enhancing their sexual experience and heightening their sensitivity to touch. In contrast, other cannabis interferes by making them sleepy and less focused or without affecting their sexual experience. Cannabis is a psychoactive drug that affects people differently. So, if this is your first time using the substance, start low, go slowly, and take some precautions to ensure you have the most enjoyable and safe experience possible. Before involving a partner, try cannabis on your own. Before introducing a partner and all of their variables, you'll know how you react to cannabis and how it affects your level of arousal and orgasm.

References

Campbell, G., Hall, W. D., Peacock, A., Lintzeris, N., Bruno, R., Larance, B., ... & Degenhardt, L. (2018). Effect of cannabis use in people with chronic non-cancer pain prescribed opioids: findings from a 4-year prospective cohort study. The Lancet Public Health, 3(7), e341-e350.

Ketcherside, A., Noble, L. J., McIntyre, C. K., & Filbey, F. M. (2017). Cannabinoid receptor 1 gene by cannabis use interaction on CB1 receptor density. Cannabis and cannabinoid research, 2(1), 202-209.

Ryan, K. S., Bash, J. C., Hanna, C. B., Hedges, J. C., & Lo, J. O. (2021). Effects of marijuana on reproductive health: preconception and gestational effects. Current opinion in endocrinology, diabetes, and obesity, 28(6), 558.

Salman, T. M., El Zahaby, M. M., Mansour, O. A., Omran, G. A., Gomaa, S. M., & Gad, H. S. (2010). Effect of narcotic addiction on hypothalamic pituitary gonadal axis hormones. Dynamic Biochem, 4, 46-49.