When it comes to who is and isn’t allowed to openly seek pleasure in our society, gender and sexuality constructs clearly play a significant role. And—surprise—women have been getting the short end of the stick. Depressing, yes, but there’s some potential good news budding on the horizon when it comes to sex. And that good news, my friends, is weed.
About That Orgasm Gap
In 2017, in one of the largest studies on the subject to date—surveying more than 52,000 people and conducted jointly by the Kinsey Institute, Chapman University, and Indiana University—it was found that 95 percent of heterosexual men said they usually or always orgasm; 89 and 88 percent of gay and bisexual men reported the same, respectively. For women, lesbians came in at 86 percent, bisexual women reported at 66 percent, and heterosexual women reported at 65 percent.
Whew. A lot to unpack when it comes to the orgasm gap. But hang on, because a major catalyst in achieving greater equality in the bedroom may very well be upon us.
In the wake of increased legalization and de-stigmatization of cannabis across the country in recent years, a recent study out of St. Louis University School of Medicine found that women who partook in a bit of green before getting down were two times more likely to have a “satisfactory orgasm” than those who didn’t. This, in addition to an increase in sex drive and less discomfort.
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Shifting perceptions in a new era
Cannabis’ role in amplifying and opening up sexual experiences isn’t really anything new. Mention the word “Woodstock” and it’s all but impossible to not mentally conjure up images of freewheeling young people barely-clothed—if at all—flashing peace signs with one hand and smoking a doob with the other. And indeed, initial studies into the relationship between sex and weed date as far back as the 1970s, with one notable
1984 study finding that two-thirds of respondents reported that cannabis made intercourse better.
But as women today increasingly embrace the plant as a means to medicate, relax, and have fun at a rate predicted by industry experts to be equal to men by 2020, so too are they increasingly discovering that it can have an impact on their sex lives.
Most women say weed "gets them out of their head" which leads to greater arousal.
A recent survey conducted by Miss Grass found that over 60 percent of participants say cannabis plays a regular role in their sex, with over 70 percent saying THC was their preferred method. Though they didn't specify the mode of consumption— smoking, edibles, or cannabis-laced lube—they did specify their reason for blending the plant and sex. Most said it's because it "gets them out of their head" which leads to greater arousal.
We spoke to three women who use cannabis on a regular or semi-regular basis, sometimes explicitly for the purpose of enjoying sex more, for further insight.
Cannabis has shown me a whole new side of things
Jenny, a 29-year-old copywriter in Austin, Texas, estimates that she uses cannabis before having sex about 30 percent of the time. “It's honestly amazing. I've been with my current partner for approximately three years, and I thought that meant I was comfortable during sex. But cannabis has shown me a whole new side of things,” she said. “I think it's because it brings me out of my head, and I'm way more sensitive everywhere. I can relax and enjoy and experience everything, versus, well, thinking.”
While the study out of the St. Louis University School of Medicine acknowledges that the reasons why cannabis use can lead to increased sexual desire are still definitively unknown, Dr. Becky K. Lynn, associate professor of obstetrics and gynaecology at SLU and lead author of the study, postulates in the paper that it lowers stress and anxiety, while also decreasing inhibition and prompting a greater willingness to experiment.
It’s an experience echoed by Lauren, a 32-year-old stay-at-home mother in Colfax, California. While she doesn’t tend to plan her weed use around sex, she does find that it increases her libido. She estimates that she ends up having sex about 50 percent of the time after consumption. “I feel more sexually confident and eager to try new things when I am under the influence of marijuana,” she says.
My orgasms are longer lasting and more intense
Lauren also asserts that cannabis use yields a different quality of orgasm than those she experiences without it. “I feel that my orgasms are longer lasting and more intense when experienced under the influence of marijuana,” she says. “My body feels more relaxed and I believe that allows me to be more in the moment during a sexual experience.”
Emily, a 27-year-old social media strategist in New York City expressed a similar sentiment: “The contractions I have during an orgasms just feel a lot slower and stronger. Sometimes I feel like I actually can intentionally draw them out longer, like that’s in my control, if that makes sense. But maybe that’s just me being stoned,” she said.
Supporting research in the SLU study points to findings that the perception of longer and more intense orgasms may have to do with cannabis’ effect on the way a consumer perceives time. Referencing a 2013 study out of Yale, it was found that occasional cannabis users reported an increase in internal clock speed; in other words, time was experienced as “stretched” in relation to actual time passed, potentially allowing for the perception that orgasms last longer.
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Every bone, muscle, and tissue in my body was put to good use
Dr. Lynn’s study also identified a third potential contributor to improved orgasms: heightened sensation of touch and increased physical closeness, which has been the subject of multiple established decades-old studies.
Some respondents to Dr. Lynn’s survey of 300 patients indicated that cannabis use enabled them to have orgasms in sexual encounters where they normally would not.
It’s an effect echoed by Jenny in her experiences with cannabis use as well. “I've tended towards clitoral orgasms, but have many more combo orgasms when I use marijuana. I feel entirely satisfied and exhausted, like every bone, muscle, and tissue in my body was put to good use.”
The effect of heightened sensitivity is particularly intriguing when considered alongside the findings of the Kinsey et al. study from 2017: “Women were more likely to orgasm if their last sexual encounter included deep kissing, manual genital stimulation, and/or oral sex in addition to vaginal intercourse.”
The future of cannabis as treatment for female sexual dysfunction
Beyond improvements in sex across a broad spectrum as cannabis increasingly becomes legal and more socially acceptable, leading researchers like Dr. Lynn are hopeful that the connection between weed use and improved sexual experiences, including better and more easily achieved orgasms, offers a potentially promising path when it comes to treating female sexual dysfunction, a condition that affects
40 percent of women in the United States.
“A better understanding of the role of the endocannabinoid system in women is important, because there is a paucity of literature, and it could help lead to development of treatments for female sexual dysfunction,” the study states.
Researchers and medical experts are careful to emphasize that cannabis use still may be harmful in some respects, and that the breadth of research and studies remains insufficient. But as legalization efforts continue and the benefits of conscious cannabis use make their way into the mainstream, it certainly seems like weed has the potential to make an impact on the orgasm gap. And who knows? Progress in sexual equality could very well spill into other areas as well.
The ERA needs one more state to ratify the amendment in order for it to be enshrined in the constitution, and activists have their sights set on Arizona as one of the states most likely to back it. Recreational cannabis is also on the ballot in Arizona for 2020, after failing narrowly in 2016.
Stay tuned for whether the Grand Canyon State (and honestly, could there be a better symbol for what’s at stake than a giant, majestic crevice?) will be the harbinger of more gender equality.