Cannabis Can Improve Your Libido and Sexual Satisfaction — Yet It’s Missing From the Marketing.
Cannabis is inherently sexy. As many people have discovered during their experiments, this plant has the truly magical effect of increasing sensation and encouraging new levels of intimacy. And, it is not just your imagination — it’s scientific fact.
Yet, unlike other benefits of cannabis, its effects on libido, orgasm, and connection aren’t widely publicized. While almost every brand seems to market cannabis for sleep or pain, few are selling cannabis for its effects on sex.
It may be time for the cannabis industry to evolve from the tropes of half-naked women on marketing materials to address the elephant in the room: Cannabis is sexy, and more products need to speak to these effects.
Cannabis Enhances Pleasure, Orgasm, and Satisfaction
In speaking with Jordan Tishler, MD, a cannabis specialist, founder of Inhale MD, and faculty member at Harvard Medical School, cannabis can help increase both sexual enjoyment as well as function, but only if used carefully and intentionally.
Tishler summarized the fundamentals of the plant’s role in sex and pleasure. It starts with the endocannabinoid system (ECS), an internal signaling system that manages a host of essential functions like pain response, mood, memory, inflammatory response, and more.
It exists throughout the body, including our central nervous system, brain, and organs, which of course, include the genitals.
The primary function of the ECS is to maintain internal homeostasis, or a state of balance. When that balance is interrupted, as we are now learning, cannabis can help return it to normal. This is true for sexual function as well.
Our current understanding of cannabis’ role in sexual function and intimacy focuses mainly on THC, the primary intoxicating cannabinoid. As Tishler described, the intoxicating side effects are not only manageable with small doses of THC but seem to increase the frequency of orgasms for women and the intensity of orgasms for all sexes.
Beyond the enhanced physiological sensations linked to cannabis, the plant also has a unique ability to increase satisfaction and bonding, no matter one’s gender. Per Tishler, “Some of that is a cognitive, emotional process, but some of it is actually neuro-hormonal.”
Mernine Ameris, poet and founder of the DC-based organization The Sunflower Girl Collective, has begun exploring the effects of cannabis with sex, and seconds the plant’s ability to enhance intimacy and connection.
So far on her journey, she’s found that “the skin-on-skin contact becomes a little bit nicer, smoother, just more connected in a way.”
For Ameris, even just the experience of rolling a joint with a partner, or, better yet, rolling joints as a form of service to each other, is a way to create an extraordinary connection. It’s like foreplay before the physical foreplay has even begun.
Perhaps cannabis’ calming and stress-relieving nature allows for more openness between two people. Ameris specifically remembers a session where “[i]t really helped with receiving [pleasure] because I used to be terrified of that specific sex act. I was so self-conscious about it, too.” But instead of fear, she felt joyful and powerful during the act: “It felt really autonomous.”
Getting the Right Dose is Critical
But getting the dose of THC right is critical. Too many puffs or too strong an edible beforehand, and many people have found that, as Tishler put it, “[i]nstead of promoting our sexual activities, [cannabis] tends to just get in the way.”
Tishler further explained, “Women don’t generally tolerate as much cannabis as men do, but in this sexual circumstance, women can tolerate a broader range of dose” because “[m]en may have more trouble getting and maintaining an erection at a higher dose.”
For those curious about introducing THC into their own sex lives, Tishler encourages people to first experiment with THC for solo sexual activities before bringing it into a partnered one.
He also suggests keeping it between a five to 20 mg dose, with 20 mg being on the higher end for those with experience and greater tolerance. Five milligrams translates to one puff from a joint or a dry flower vaporizer.
A final point from Tishler on cannabis and sex is, “There needs to be a clear dialogue between all the involved parties that sex is wanted. There may be limits. Also, that there is cannabis involved and that it’s consensual as well.”
Evolving a More Sophisticated Approach to Sex
Cannabis, when done consensually and appropriately, is a potent tool for better sex and intimacy, yet few companies are taking advantage of it.
And, fewer still are doing it in a manner that includes women rather than just using them for hyper-sexual branding designed for a male audience.
But then there is Her Highness. This is a female-founded cannabis and accessory brand that is delivering products with sex appeal, but without using the outdated tropes we now expect to be associated with cannabis.
Co-founders Allison Krongard and Laura Eisman are leaning into cannabis’ inherently seductive nature by creating products that are feminine yet unabashedly sexy.
According to Krongard, Her Highness is striving to “remove the stigma of female cannabis use, and part of that is the stigma of female pleasure.”
This is why their Pleasure Oil stands out. The oil contains a blend of cannabinoids and a medicinal plant extract known for increasing wetness (Spilanthes Acmella).
And it’s not a lube. This is a THC-rich formula (CBD Pleasure Oil is also available in non-legal regions) designed to break the stigma of female pleasure and stimulate “bigger and better orgasms,” per Krongard.
As she details, “Instead of this localized orgasm, it starts at the top of your thighs and goes to your belly button. It’s like this bigger experience.”
Her Highness, and particularly products like their Pleasure Oil, demonstrate how the cannabis industry should be exploring the plant’s natural sex appeal.
Today, sex and cannabis are both increasingly perceived as positive and even healthy activities — so why shouldn’t we honor this natural connection?
Cannabis is Sexy. Let’s Start Celebrating It.
Scientifically and anecdotally, we know that THC can enhance sensation, connection, and orgasm when used in a controlled and consensual way.
So, maybe it’s time the industry evolves its messaging to speak about these effects for a broader audience.
Cannabis’ effects on sex represent a substantial and largely untapped opportunity for product development and better branding.
A better orgasm and enhanced intimacy shouldn’t be the side effects nobody talks about. They should be celebrated.
This article first appeared in Volume 4 Issue 4 of Cannabis & Tech Today. Read the full issue here.
