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I’ve been doing a lot of research into two of my all-time favorites: Weed and Sex. More specifically, I am interested in the correlation between cannabis consumption and overall sexual function. Taking into mind the often-contradictory nature of past studies and traditional word of mouth, I aim to navigate the pass between anecdotal history and scientific association. So, when it comes to weed and sex, what’s going on?

What We Know

Let’s start off with some fairly acceptable scientific facts, backed by the body of research that we now have. This research is not definitive by any means, which is another brick in the “Support Marijuana Research” wall.

You know, THAT wall

Cannabis, if smoked regularly, may damage the airways and respiratory system of your body, which can lead to increased cardiovascular stress and decrease output. That being said, we’re still not sure it has any effect on lung function at all.

To make matters more interesting, studies have also shown that smoking cannabis has shown to increase lung capacity, attaining better breathing and oxygen levels in their bodies, which boosts their brain function.

Regardless, blazing fat beezy’s on the beach is not the only way to consume marijuana.

Anyways, the prolonged amount of cardiovascular stress via progressive smoke inhalation is a big no-no for sex, as it most likely impairs the unhindered flow of blood to the genitals, male and female, in one way or another; especially with high doses of Cannabis. And we gotta keep that thang circulatin’, baby. You know what I’m saying.

A body of studies – which were limited, focusing on single cells in-vitro, some on cells of rodents – determined that long-term cannabis exposure may hinder testosterone production, which led to early claims that cannabis use caused men to grow breasts. Such claims are not taken seriously anymore by either side of this debate.

It is worth mentioning that later studies found the effects of testosterone to be not statistically significant and did not corroborate any association between chronic cannabis use and decreased testosterone. The studies that did assert a direct negative association between the two also noted that the effects were reversible within 24 hours after smoking a joint in controlled cases. No studies have ever been done on any cells within a living organism.

Also, we all know sexual activity to be a markedly mental exercise. There are many people who become severely anxious after consuming marijuana, and that is okay. But they probably shouldn’t be using it for sex.

Cannabis can function as a tool to lower unease and increase physical connectivity in users who find these attributes to be the case within their bodies. Just as with any medicine, some bodies do not react appropriately to specific substances. For those users, exposure to physiological stress via cannabis use can cut down on their mental clarity and physical presence in the moment and lead to a definite, although temporary, decrease in sexual function.

But why do so many people talk about cannabis and sex, then?

Hindu literature famously hails cannabis as a sexual liberator and gift from the Gods. People in India traditionally drank their cannabis – called bhang – in a heated milk beverage, and this is important in two ways: first, the milk did not impair the airways and most likely was consumed in a sacramental manner, i.e. not four times a day, and secondly, the substance had a slower, more controlled release into their system through their GI tract.

In the United States, cannabis was early on labeled as a social agitator for the marked sense of sexual ease it instilled in its users, which racist people thought would increase the risk for hazardous – interracial – lovemaking. Boo. To the racists… not to the lovemaking.

Anyway, cannabis use later swept through the ranks of middle-class white America in the hippie movement – free love! – and was associated with lovemaking in tents by smelly people in yellow-tinted sunglasses. Power to the people!

So, if cannabis can ease the greater social psyche around sexuality, then maybe that can stand for its possible implications within an individual’s own sexual function.

Cultures have connected cannabis and sex explicitly throughout time, and if you ask a handful of longtime cannabis users, you will more than likely find positive testimonials to cannabis’s effectiveness in easing mental connection and physical focus in the loooove-dungeon…

Everybody calls their bedroom the love-dungeon, right?

So, what do I believe?

I believe, first and foremost, that cannabis is medicine, and I will always push this idea from any angle possible, but that means something important:

As users, We need to treat it like one!

I believe that marijuana has acted as a tool to promote greater sexual understanding and function within myself and with my partner. I am in a healthy relationship, sexually and otherwise, where I find my personal use of cannabis to be constructive and meditative.

Most importantly, I believe that the unnecessarily constant use of any medicine decreases its efficiency in the body and risks lowering the overall wellbeing of the users themselves.

Ultimately, I blend Hindu scripture with scientific thought:

Cannabis is a very potent and effective sexual tool that warrants a mild dosage and a consistent effort to balance the body through well-rounded diet and exercise

Weed or no weed, sex is exercise. If cannabis makes you want to exercise, the more power to you (and to the weed!). So, find what’s right for you. Smoke a joint – maybe just the tip – and get out there.

Weed and sex can be used together synergistically, each as unique monitored components to an overall healthy lifestyle. Keep the volume of smoke to a minimum, but don’t be afraid to use it as your body permits. Trust your intuition, mind what your body is telling you, and, please, engage in all sexual activity consensually.