Does marijuana enhance sex? That’s a question that impacts pretty much everyone. It’s also one that is attracting more scientific research.

The late genius scientist Carl Sagan certainly thought so. And previous studies have shown a link between cannabis and improved sex life, including a Stanford University study that found cannabis users report having more sex than those who do not use marijuana.

As far as sex and marijuana go, 2018 has been a banner year for studies. In addition to the Stanford University study about the frequency of sex for marijuana users, two other studies also investigated the connection between sex and cannabis.

Both focused on women.

Women, Marijuana and Sex

At St. Louis University in Missouri, two studies were conducted involving women.

In the first, 133 women were asked about sex and marijuana during gynecology check-ups. Of those 133 women, 38 told researchers that they had used marijuana shortly before having sex with their partners.

Researchers then asked those 38 women a series of questions about the impact of marijuana on their sex lives. Here are some of the findings.

• 68% said marijuana made sex “more pleasurable”
• Of those who found sex more pleasurable, 72% said marijuana “always” increased their pleasure and 24% said it sometimes did
• 62% said it increased the pleasure of orgasm
• 16% said they used marijuana before sex to relieve pain that they said could interfere with sex
• Only 16% said it “ruined sex”

Apparently intrigued by those findings, the St. Louis University researchers conducted a second study with a larger group of women, according to Psychology Today. They found the results essentially replicated the findings of the first study.

Overall, 65% of the women said cannabis enhanced sex, 23% said it made no difference and 9% had no opinion.

Marijuana vs. Alcohol

Oddly, alcohol is usually used before sex more than any other stimulant. That’s odd because usually two or more drinks begin to desensitize the central nervous system, leading to potential erectile dysfunction for men and lowered sexual sensitivity for women, according to Psychology Today.

More dangerously, alcohol and sex have been found to increase the chance for women of sexual assault.

Psychology Today also shared the results of an informal survey of readers about sex and marijuana. Those readers provide a little more insight into the use of marijuana before sex.

• Overall, the group said cannabis enhances sex and their ability to “focus intently on their partner.”
• Of the 20% who said marijuana impairs sex, many said it’s because using cannabis made them “withdraw from partners and into themselves.”
• Another 15% said the impact of marijuana depends on many factors. They included the strain of marijuana as one of those factors, as well as their own mood and feelings for the other person (an issue present with or without cannabis use)

The online magazine noted that “if you feel inclined to combine lovemaking with a recreational drug, know that for most lovers, marijuana seems to be sex-enhancing, while drunk sex is often lousy sex.”