Smoking Pot Could Be Dope For Your Sex Life, Folks

Wanna have more sex? Try smoking pot. At least that’s what the latest research published in the Journal of Sexual Medicine seems to say.

Doctors at Stanford University Medical Center analyzed data from approximately 28,000 women and 23,000 men who participated in the National Survey of Family Growth. The survey is administered by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and researchers used data collected during various years between 2002 and 2015. Respondents, ages 25 to 45, were asked how often they’d had sex in the month prior and how often they’d smoked pot in the last year.

The results showed that people who smoke more weed have sex more often than people who smoke less or not at all. What isn’t clear is why.

Pot is known to heighten the senses, but does it really make you horny? Many cultures believe that pot has the power to enhance libido, create longer-lasting erections, and delay orgasm. Some strains of marijuana are thought to be aphrodisiacs, and there are different types for men and women.

So, yeah, maybe pot use does increase your sex drive to some extent. There certainly seems to be a correlation in this latest study.

The pot-smoking men surveyed reported having sex 6.9 times per month compared to 5.6 for non-users. The women who responded, it seems, are having more sex than men whether they get high or not. Weekly users reported having sex 7.1 times per month versus 6 times per month for non-users. No matter which group you fall into, that’s more than the average 58 to 68 times a year for married couples.

Keep in mind that the sampling included both married and unmarried people as well as parents and non-parents. I’m guessing the results would have looked a little different had all the respondents been parents, especially moms.

I’m not saying once women become moms they morph into libido-less, child-centric beings completely uninterested in sex. That’s not true. We still feel and act sexy, but not always as much as we used to or as much as we’d like to.

What is true is it’s not easy for women to switch from mommy mode to sex mode, especially after a day that includes, but is not limited to, diaper blowouts in the car seat, no-napping, fascist 4-year-olds, and demanding, emotionally challenging tweens.

For women who work outside the home, there’s a good amount of stress around balancing office and family life. Some nights, just getting dinner on the table is a magical feat unto itself. Even if sex manages to score a spot on the day’s to-do list, it’s somewhere after “take a shower,” “have a glass of wine,” “watch Highlander,” and “sleep.” That doesn’t mean we don’t want sex. It just means it’s really hard to clear our minds of the mental load, focus on our own pleasure, and get in the mood without passing out from sheer exhaustion first.

But what if getting high a couple times a week somehow opened the door to having more sex? Color me intrigued.

As a part-time working mom to three girls, I know there’s no way I’m doing the deed unless the day’s stress has somehow melted away, I have the next day’s demands under control, and I’m not totally cranky from an ongoing lack of sleep. If this is how I’m feeling (and it’s not uncommon), I swear if I get near my bed with my pajamas on, there’s no way in hell sex is going to happen. Sorry, babe.

So what’s a girl (and her longing mate) to do?

Smoke a doobie. Snack on a pot gummy, or two. Chew a weed-infused caramel. And you don’t have to wait until you’re solidly committed to getting lucky to get high. While the research shows a correlation between pot use and increased sexual encounters, it wasn’t clear that people were partaking just before sex.

“I totally have more sex when I smoke regularly than when I don’t, especially depending on the strain,” says Eliza, 36, mom of three. “I smoke it for anxiety and that tends to carry over into sex. I’m more “in” my body and happy and that lets me, well, let go.”

While I’m not entirely convinced marijuana directly affects sex drive, I do know there are medical benefits to using pot that certainly make it more likely sex will happen. Besides quelling nausea, boosting appetite for cancer patients, and lowering eye pressure for glaucoma sufferers, pot is known to diffuse anxiety, counter depression, and promote better sleep. Could it be possible that it’s the de-stressing component of pot that leads to more sex?

For tired, stressed-out moms, it certainly couldn’t hurt.

Now that pot might be the sex motivator we’ve all been waiting for, how do we get a hold of it? For those of us living in the District of Columbia or one of the eight states where buying recreational pot is legal, no problem. Hit up a local dispensary and walk away with the goods.

If you live in a state where medical marijuana is legal, you need to get a medical marijuana card first.

For the rest of us, where there’s a will, there’s a way.

So if you want to have more sex, run out and score a dime bag (or take the legal route referenced above) and treat yourself. I can’t guarantee it’ll put you in the mood, but then again, it might.