Marijuana use could improve sex and orgasms, small study finds

• Researchers in Spain conducted a small study where they surveyed people who only use cannabis, alcohol, or neither, about their sex lives.
• They found people who only used cannabis reported better orgasms and higher levels of arousal than people who used neither or alcohol only.

Some marijuana users say using the substance in the bedroom improves arousal, intimacy, and orgasms.

And there is some evidence to back up their claims, according to a small study from researchers at the University of Almeria in Spain. After surveying 274 Spanish people who were between 18 and 30, the researchers found those who consumed cannabis before sex reported more satisfying experiences than those who abstained from weed or mixed weed and alcohol.

This isn't the first study to suggest cannabis could improve a person's sex life. One study found pre-sex cannabis helped some queer men feel less anxious and more emotionally present during sex, and another suggests cannabis could make a woman's orgasm more satisfying. One 2017 study found people who use weed regularly tend to have more sex overall than their non-stoner counterparts. These studies have been small and inconclusive, but could offer hope for people who struggle with sexual dysfunction.

Dr. Jordan Tishler, an internal medicine physician and the president of the Association of Cannabis Specialists, previously told Insider his patients regularly ask how they can incorporate cannabis into their sex lives. Before treatment, they cite issues like difficulty with sex drive and arousal, pain on penetration, anxiety and PTSD, and difficulty achieving orgasm.

Cannabis users were more aroused and had more orgasms than non-users

For the study, the University of Almeria researchers enlisted 89 male and 185 female volunteers who either used cannabis, alcohol, or neither. People who used other drugs or had underlying conditions like depression and diabetes were excluded from the study. They surveyed each of the 274 participants about their age, sexual orientation, education level, cannabis and alcohol consumption, and sexual function.

Overall, both male and female participants who used cannabis regularly were more likely to report better sexual function than those who didn't use weed at all. When the researchers broke sexual function into more specific categories of desire for sex, physical sexual arousal, and orgasms, they found cannabis users reported more arousal and better orgasms, but not more desire, than non-users.

There were some limitations to the study. Since the study was small, the results can't be generalizable for all and "should be interpreted cautiously," the study authors wrote. Additionally, the researchers relied on participants' self-reported survey answers, so it's possible their responses weren't completely representative of their experiences, therefore skewing results.

The research was also short-term, and the researchers said they'd like to see how cannabis use affects young people's sex lives over a longer period of time.