Is There Really a Link Between Good Sex and Weed?

See what stoners and scientists say.

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Lots of people like weed, and probably even more people like sex, but are the two a heady combination of bliss and lust, or a naked stoner nightmare?

Plenty of pot users will quickly say that their sex gets a serious boost from marijuana.

In an informal poll conducted for Psychology Today by sex researcher and writer Michael Castleman, 67 percent of respondents said that weed enhances sex. One participant said, "After smoking, I can feel my nipples perk up, clitoris tingle, and vagina become wet to the point that I can feel it through my pants and my man knows he is in for a LONG night." 

Only 12 percent said that smoking weed "destroys sex" for them, and 20 percent said the impact depends on the dosage, strain, and the smoker's mood.

Self-proclaimed "sex and pot expert" and Sex Pot: The Marijuana Lover's Guide To Gettin' It On author Lisa "Mamakind" Kirkman told Alternet​ in 2014 that pot can be a sex-booster because it's a social lubricant, meaning inhibitions are lowered.

Kirkman also stated that certain strains like Skunk #1, Voodoo, and Goodbud can improve sexual experiences. 

Pot-centric publications like High Times have lists of cannabis strains with the power to do anything from encourage analingus (try Skywalker weed) to get you ready for a threesome (Voodoo strain recommended). 

A story from weed site The Hemp Connoisseur claimed that pot has inhibition-reducing properties that can increase intimacy among partners, but underscored that other research was inconclusive. 

Despite a fair amount of scientific research, there's still no clear consensus on whether or not weed can boost your libido. In fact, there's some evidence that suggests the opposite is true, and weed can actually decrease sex drive.

An article on weed and sex from the University of California at Santa Barbara concluded:

Sex under the influence of marijuana is not always so romantic. While the drug has the ability to enhance mood and reduce inhibitions, much in the way that alcohol does, it also has some undesired effects on a person’s libido.

Castleman wrote in 2010 that existing literature on marijuana's sexual health impacts was inconclusive. At the time, most research was decades old and focused on small sample sizes. A 2011 Journal of Sexual Medicine study about pot usage and men's sexual health concluded that further research was needed to make any determinations.

So is there strong evidence that weed will improve someone's libido? No. But since the majority of stoners think they're great in bed, it could become true if they believe it enough.

This post originally appeared on NTRSCTN.com

 

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