Shared cannabis experiences linked to bringing couples closer.
As a wide array of benefits from marijuana consumption are coming to light in the scientific world, a new study finds simultaneous cannabis use can increase the likelihood of intimacy between couples.
The study, “Marijuana Use Episodes and Partner Intimacy Experiences,” published in February by The Research Society of Marijuana, investigated the impact of cannabis-use on couples and whether or not it brought on positive experiences.
The report followed 183 male and female couples who were married or lived together over a period of 30 consecutive days. For research purposes, at least one of the partners was a frequent marijuana user, defined as using marijuana at least twice a week.
The results showed when the partners used cannabis within one hour of each other, there was an increased likelihood of an intimate experience. Although intimacy and sex are often used interchangeably, the intimacy events referred to an interaction or meaningful conversation that involved intimacy, love, caring, or support.
Another position the study reported was the effects on intimacy after only one partner used marijuana, or solo use. The study showed “significant positive effects” on intimacy after solo use and in some instances even increased reports of intimacy.
“The robust positive effects of using marijuana with one’s partner on intimacy events may serve to reinforce continued couple use and explain the positive effects of concordant substance use on relationship functioning over time,” the researchers concluded.
Cannabis Linked to More Sex
Other studies have shown a link between cannabis and sexual intimacy. Researchers from Stanford University utilized data from the U.S. government’s National Survey of Family Growth to investigate whether cannabis use had an impact on sexual frequency.
Reports from that study showed that compared to those who have never had cannabis, regular cannabis users were found to have sex at a higher frequency without any impairment in sexual function.
“What we found was compared to never-users, those who reported daily use had about 20 percent more sex,” said Dr. Michael Eisenberg, senior author on the study, “So over the course of a year, they’re having sex maybe 20 more times.”
Studies have also shown that using cannabis before sex can enhance pleasure for women. Researchers from Saint Louis University in Missouri surveyed 133 sexually active women on their marijuana use habits before sex during annual gynecology check-ups.
In the study published in the Journal of Sexual Medicine, 29 percent said they consumed cannabis shortly prior to sexual relations. Of those women, 68 percent said that marijuana made sex “more pleasurable,” compared to 16 percent who did not and 16 percent who didn’t know.
Of the women who said marijuana use before sex made the experience more pleasurable, 72 percent said it always did and 24 percent said it sometimes did. Almost two-thirds (62 percent) of respondents said that consuming marijuana shortly prior to sex increased their sex drive and the pleasure of orgasm.
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