Over the years, marijuana has transformed from the status of a drug used just for recreation purposes to being a possible cure for several health ailments. But for a long time, pot-smoking enthusiasts have associated the drug to be an aphrodisiac and enhance the experience during sexual intercourse.

Is this true? Let's find out.

A research study in the Journal of Sexual Medicine (JSM), entitled the Association Between Marijuana Use and Sexual Frequency in the United States: A Population-Based Study, aimed, “To elucidate whether a relation between marijuana use and sexual frequency exists using a nationally representative sample of reproductive-age men and women.”

Forbes reported, “The clinical implications of their study revealed that “Marijuana use is independently associated with increased sexual frequency and does not appear to impair sexual function.”

To validate the findings of this study, an additional study was published by JSM titled, “The Relationship Between Marijuana Use Prior to Sex and Sexual Function in Women”. The objective of this study was to “determine if marijuana use before sex affects the sexual experience, by how much, and which domains of sexual function are affected.”

In this survey analysis, 133 sexually-active adult women at one point during their annual check-ups were polled. As a part of the survey activity, the female patients were required to fill out a lengthy questionnaire regarding marijuana use before sex.

The results showed that amongst this sample, thirty-eight women (29% of the total sample) revealed that they consumed cannabis prior to sexual activity. Among these 38 women, 68 percent reported enhanced pleasurable sex, 16% revealed ruined their sexual experience, while the remaining 16% were indifferent or unaware of the change.

“Although some studies have shown results that are equivocal, anecdotally patients have reported positive feedback,” says Dr. Grover who is a double Board certified in Family Medicine and Gynecology, from Asira Medical with practices in both Midtown, Manhattan and Westchester, New York.

“Consumption of small quantities [of marijuana] prior to sex may increase libido in female patients, which in turn can release positive endorphins and increase vaginal lubrication,” she added.

CNN reports: “People who use marijuana may have more sex because they put less pressure on themselves when they are high, so they don’t have the same performance anxiety as those who are sober,” as commented by sex therapist Amanda Pasciucco, who practices in Connecticut, where medical use is legal. “A small amount of marijuana may also help increase your ability to communicate your preferences to your partner”, she further adds.

Back in the 1980s, several studies evaluated pot’s effects on lovemaking. The analysis displayed that they were multifold, from strongly sex-inhibiting to strongly sex-enhancing.

Michelle Mendoza, a cannabis connoisseur, and Head Buyer at Los Angels comment that the neurological and biological benefits linked to marijuana are essentially induced by the substance’s terpene and cannabinoid content.

In a conversation with InsideHook, she said, “Terpenes (the perfumey bouquet of smells that often accompanies a strain, with names like Limonene and Myrcene) are responsible for things like those energetic and uplifting feelings or that deep body buzz just after ingestion, while cannabinoids (the chemical compounds found in THC, CBD, etc.) activate and communicate with specific receptors within the Endocannabinoid System.”

She further reinstated, “Together, they produce the entourage effect that equals the sum of its parts and your very individualized experience.”

With its known function as a vasodilator, Cannabis helps to increase blood flow and boost the sensitivity in the already-sensitive parts of our bodies.

A 2019 study that evaluated the relationship between marijuana and sex found, amongst the 373 women surveyed 34 percent of the women who used marijuana before a sexual encounter reported an increase in “sex drive, improvement in orgasm, decrease in pain, but no change in lubrication.”

In 2017, yet another study concluded to find “a positive association between marijuana use and sexual frequency in men and women across all demographic groups.”

All of these researches and studies connote that in the majority of the cases., marijuana is proven to enhance the sex drive and intercourse experience. However, it is important to note that all of these results are relative to an individual and it is solely based on their personal preference and choices with their partner. If you think marijuana will work as an aphrodisiac for you, you should actively go and try it out keeping in mind the optimum dosage and amount!