By Amanda Fisher-Katz-Keohane

I wouldn’t call myself a cannabis connoisseur, but I have lived in places where it’s recreationally legal for years and enjoyed it a number of ways for a number of reasons. Most predominantly, it was a huge support post-abortion, and during a stint of insomnia triggered by inexplicable knee pain.

I had never considered the ways in which cannabis influenced my sex life. That is, until I began working at My Sexual Biography, a sex education and empowerment organization focused on discovery through personal reflection.

What the studies say about Sex & Cannabis

In June of 2019, our organization spent a month discussing the intersection of cannabis and sex, and oh boy, my mind was blown. So many people were talking about how cannabis influenced libido, testosterone, sperm count, and the satisfaction of an orgasm.

While a Psychology Today study found that “marijuana’s sexual effects are highly unpredictable, from strongly sex-inhibiting to strongly sex-enhancing,” findings also revealed that 67% of respondents felt as though cannabis enhanced their sexual experience.

Likewise, a 2019 study in the Journal of Sexual Medicine reported that 38.7% of people who had sex under the influence of cannabis said that it made sex better, 16% said it made sex better in some ways and worse in others, 24.5% said it was sometimes better, and only 10% said that cannabis had negatively impacted their sexual experiences.

Some people said that it heightened all their senses and, therefore, intensified sex for them. Others said it made them desire sex more, and some said that their orgasms had become reliably more satisfying.

It all seemed too good to be true. Still, I was determined to learn more.

Personal research

All the research and reading got me thinking…. How has cannabis affected my own sexual experiences? 

So, I launched into some deep reflection, and definitely super-scientific experimentation, to determine if I would come to the same conclusions as these testimonials and studies.

First, indulging in a heady Indica was not a sexy move, at least for me. I don’t think it ever really led to an evening of lovemaking. Instead, it led to me closing my eyes the moment my head hit the pillow and mumbling sorry, babe to my (now) husband.

So, that was a no-go. But, I did have one of the best nights of sleep I’d had in awhile.

I must be doing something wrong, I thought. 

A week or so later I tried a new approach and learned that it was a Sativa-hybrid that really took the cake. While I still felt heavy and relaxed, I was awake and alert. Often during sex I am bombarded with distracting thoughts that take me out of the moment. Did I lock the car? When is that article due? How do I look in this lighting?

But, those thoughts felt quiet this time. I was focused and present in a shared experience with the man I loved. And most of all: I was having fun! The freedom from my nagging thoughts allowed for just an overall good time. I started to understand what all the hubbub was about.

Still, my exploration didn’t stop there.

The winning CBD & sex combo

I had heard about CBD lube before and figured I should add it to the mix. You know… for science.

According to Dr. Kecia Gaither, “CBD is thought to decrease inflammation, increase blood flow and help with muscle relaxation, which might make CBD-infused lubricants a reliable option for women who have pain during intercourse.”

While I am privileged in that I don’t often experience pain during sex, I do often have difficulty generating enough lubrication naturally (thanks, Zoloft) and could use some additional support in relaxing into the experience.

Right on time, I was gifted with a box of CBD wellness products as a wedding gift: CBD lube, CBD suppositories, and a CBD tincture. This was truly where the game changed for me. While I enjoyed my explorations with the Sativa-dominant flower, I was still a bit of a novice THC user. These CBD products offered me the ability to experience sensory stimulation without the altered mental state.

In the end, what I discovered was how intricately connected cannabis use is with our sexual experiences – whether for the good or the bad – and that, how that experience is altered, is different for every person.

Most important in all of this is comfort and safety. 

I recommend exploring first through self-touch and masturbation if you don’t have a partner(s) that you trust wholeheartedly. It does no one good to explore substances you are unfamiliar with, in an unfamiliar setting, with an unfamiliar person. That’s a recipe for a rather unpleasurable time.

Amanda Fisher-Katz-Keohane is a writer and outdoorswoman with a passion for making global change. Right now she is doing so in her role as the Chief Operating Officer of My Sexual Biography, a sex education and empowerment organization that hosts free and low-cost workshops online for anyone anywhere.