A study published last fall in the Journal of Sexual Health reported that those who use cannabis have more sex. Hm, intriguing – let's talk a closer look at this...
The Study
In this analysis, data from a national survey were analyzed across three periods of time – 2002, 2006-2010, and 2011-2015. The National Survey of Family Growth is conducted by the National Center for Health Statistics. The survey contains questions related to sex and childbearing, and included 28,176 women and 22,943 men aged 15-44 years old.
Demographic, socioeconomic, and anthropographic characteristics were applied to a multivariable model (statistical analysis that takes into account the effects of each variable and the relationship between theses variables on the outcome measure) to determine the link between cannabis use and sex frequency.
The Results
The main findings of this study indicate that cannabis use is linked to greater average sex frequency. Weekly and daily female and male cannabis users experienced more sex on average than those who did not use cannabis as often.
This is the first study to report an association between cannabis use and sex frequency. However, there are a few things to point out in this article.
The Limitations
While there was a good balance of men and women, the average age of the survey responders was quite young (29.5 years for men and 29.9 years for women) – so, does this effect apply to those who are older? In addition, very few people in the study reported ever using cannabis (24.5% of men and 14.5% of women). What would happen if this survey was conducted in a population with a greater number of cannabis users, perhaps in a state where its use is fully legalized?
One of the most important points to note is that the survey only captured data on those who have heterosexual sex – therefore, these results cannot be applied to those who have homosexual sex. So, clearly, more research is needed.
The Medicinal Value?
Some may read this study and say, “Well, I guess I should use cannabis more often so I have more sex!” While that could be true, this study only looked at correlation – not causation. The study also does not indicate that cannabis users were enjoying sex more than those who were not using cannabis as often.
And there’s always the possibility that cannabis could cause unpleasant effects for some people during sex.
However, the link between cannabis and sexual health certainly deserves greater exploration. Sexual health is an important part of our overall health and people who struggle with impotence or other sexual dysfunction could benefit from cannabis, if it is proven to be effective in clinical trials.
Watch this video to learn more about the link between cannabis and sex:
