The Research Is In
We all know that the war on drugs has had one very ironic repercussion: the government can’t get much good data on drug use.
So even though over 44% of US citizens over the age of 26 have smoked in the last year, we know SO little about how cannabis affects many facets of our lives. But now, thanks to a small group of researchers from Saint Louis University who published a study online in March 2019, we know a little bit more.
Specifically that women who smoke weed before sex enjoy themselves more.
Okay, so, for me this wasn’t exactly revolutionary. I just thought that everyone smoked a joint before sex. And after meals. And before they go out. And when they get home. And as a reward for cleaning the apartment. Right guys? Right??
What Were the Actual Findings Though?
Okay, so the study was kind of small.
So first off:
373 women took part in the study.
176 women report using cannabis.
127 of them get high before sex.
Of those 127:
68.5% said that sex was more pleasurable.
60.6% experienced an increased sex drive.
52.8% reported an increase in satisfying orgasms.
ALSO interesting: frequent pot users were found to be 2.10 times more likely to have satisfying orgasms than women who use cannabis less frequently.
Why Does it Work?
Believe me: men all over the world are interested in how exactly sex can be more pleasurable for women (and results are surprising; you can check out this study from Finland if interested).
This small study alone was not comprehensive enough to say exactly why weed makes sex slightly better. What do the researchers hypothesize though?
The researchers think it has to do with the way weed lowers levels of stress and anxiety, and “may slow the temporal perception of time and prolong the feelings of pleasurable sensations.”
More specifically, the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis (which controls sex hormones) is affected by the cannabinoid receptors as they are being stimulated and all of that affects hormones and oxytocin release.
In other words? Cannabis allows women to feel more free and confident while focusing on the actual sensations more. Dope.
Research Helps Legitimize Things
Look, even if the average person knows something to be true, it’s super useful to have institutions back it up.
Studies about female sexuality? Those are kind of cool because for a while researchers kind of just focused on men. Don’t worry though -- we are entering a golden age of research into the female side of things.
Studies about weed? These are especially cool because each study establishes cannabis research as a normal thing to do and helps make cannabis a more and more normal part of society (I mean, it already is, but this is for the squares, guys).
You Know What To Do Now
For anyone out there dating a lady: next time you surprise her with a bouquet of flowers and nice chocolates, throw a joint in there.