Pot enhances sexual desire, according to science

Long before molly (MDMA) came on the scene, pot was considered the drug of choice to get in the mood for love. Now science is confirming what children of the '60s have long known. Marijuana can make you more amorous more often.

A research study in the Journal of Sexual Medicine (JSM) explored the connection between pot and sex, "to elucidate whether a relation between marijuana use and sexual frequency exists using a nationally representative sample of reproductive-age men and women." The study analyzed 28,176 women and 22,943 men nationwide who were surveyed by the Center for Disease Control (CDC) via a questionnaire. The CDC's broad, all-encompassing survey is so comprehensive that it is often utilized by researchers as a basis for more specific analysis.

The report noted that women who didn't use marijuana reported having sex six times on average during the past four weeks. Women who consumed marijuana daily had sex 7.1 times on average. Men who abstained said they had sex an average of 5.6 times in the four weeks before the survey, compared with the daily marijuana users who reported having sex 6.9 times, on average.

"We were surprised to see the positive association between users," said Dr. Michael Eisenberg, an assistant professor of urology at the Stanford University Medical Center who co-authored the study, as CNN cited. "This was across the board: marital status, race, none of that mattered."

The link between weed and sexual desire certainly explains the booming industry in cannabis edibles.

"Although some studies have shown results that are equivocal, anecdotally patients have reported positive feedback," says Dr. Monica Grover of Asira Medical, a specialist in Family Medicine and Gynecology in Manhattan, as Forbes reports. "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."

Men also seem to get a boost from marijuana although Eisenberg suggests that regular exercise may well be the arousal enhancer they really need.

"For most people, we tell them instead to go to the gym and lose 20 pounds," Eisenberg said, as CNN noted. "We always talk about anything that can be good for your heart can be good for your penis ... For a lot of guys, hearing that is an amazing motivator."

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