A new study examining the influence of intoxicating substances on sexual encounters says that while alcohol might “facilitate” sex in the first place, marijuana is better at enhancing sexual sensitivity and satisfaction.

Based on an online survey of 483 people who had previously used both alcohol and cannabis, the newly published research found that while alcohol increased some elements of sexual attraction—including making people feel more attractive, more extroverted and more desirous—people who used marijuana “have more sensitivity and they are more sexually satisfied than when they consume alcohol.”

“Therefore, it is concluded that, although alcohol facilitates the sexual encounter, with cannabis they feel more satisfied,” wrote the three-author team from the University of Huelta and University of Cordoba, in Spain, according to a translation.

The study, published this month in Revista Internacional de Androlgía, claims to be the first research in Spain to compare the effects of alcohol and cannabis—the country’s two most popular drugs—on sexual experiences in the same participants. Despite the influence of alcohol and other drugs on sexual experience, it says, scant research globally has been carried out on comparative effects.

Participants were given a series of statements and asked to answer them about both alcohol and cannabis.

Asked how the consumption of alcohol or cannabis affected their sexual experience in general, 19 percent said marijuana improved the experience, compared to just 8.4 percent of respondents who said alcohol improved their experience.

Roughly equal proportions of people said the drugs made their sexual experiences worse—8.9 percent when it came to alcohol and 8.6 percent in terms of cannabis.

Notably, the plurality of respondents (27.2 percent) said cannabis produced no changes in their sexual experience. Far fewer (13.4 percent) said the same of alcohol.

Many people also said the drugs’ influences were mixed, though that feeling was more common with regard to alcohol. Respondents said the substances either improved sex in some respects while making it worse in others (37.4 percent for alcohol, 26.2 percent for cannabis) or sometimes improved sex while other times making it worse (31.9 percent with alcohol, 19.0 percent with cannabis).

The finding that cannabis promoted greater sexual satisfaction than alcohol, authors wrote, “is consistent with the fact that cannabis promotes orgasm, excitement, and helps them be more relaxed during the sexual encounter and, consequently, accentuates the sensitivity to physical contact and increases satisfaction.”

No significant differences were observed, meanwhile, between respondents’ reports of sexual intensity with alcohol versus marijuana.

As for the duration of sexual encounters, the study found that “with alcohol consumption sexual relations are longer than with the consumption of cannabis,” though that trend was observed in people who consumed alcohol and cannabis more frequently. “In the people who consume less frequency,” it notes, “the duration of sexual relations are no different when they consume alcohol than when they consume cannabis.”

Despite the focus on drugs and sex, survey respondents generally said they preferred not to be under the influence of substances during sex.

“Although the people in the present study prefer not to use any drugs when they have sex,” authors pointed out, “they prefer to consume more cannabis than alcohol.”

Results of the study, the team added, should be “considered with some caution,” largely because of the non-random nature of the survey itself.

The findings nevertheless add to a growing body of literature finding benefits of cannabis consumption on sexual function in at least some circumstances.

A scientific review of academic research on cannabis and human sexuality published earlier this month concluded that while the relationship between marijuana and sex is a complicated one, use of cannabis is generally associated with more frequent sexual activity as well as increased sexual desire and enjoyment.

The article, published in the journal Psychopharmacology, also suggested that lower doses of marijuana may actually be best suited for sexual satisfaction, while higher doses could in fact lead to decreases in desire and performance. And it suggested effects may differ between men and women.

Some advocates have cited the potential for cannabis to improve sexual function in women as a reason to add conditions such as female orgasmic disorder (FOD) as a qualifying condition for medical marijuana.

As for men, the Psychopharmacology article noted that studies’ findings “are conflicting—some suggest that cannabis causes erectile disfunction, premature ejaculation, and postponed ejaculation, while others claim the opposite.”

A 2020 study in the journal Sexual Medicine, meanwhile, found that women who used cannabis more often had better sex.

Numerous online surveys have also reported positive associations between marijuana and sex. One study even found a connection between the passage of marijuana laws and increased sexual activity.

Yet another study, however, cautions that more marijuana doesn’t necessarily mean better sex. A literature review published in 2019 found that cannabis’s impact on libido may depend on dosage, with lower amounts of THC correlating with the highest levels of arousal and satisfaction. Most studies showed that marijuana has a positive effect on women’s sexual function, the study found, but too much THC can actually backfire.

Separately, a paper published earlier this year in the journal Nature Scientific Reports that purported to be the first scientific study to formally explore the effects of psychedelics on sexual functioning found that drugs such as psilocybin mushrooms and LSD could have beneficial effects on sexual functioning—even months after use.

“On the surface, this type of research may seem ‘quirky,’” one of the authors of that study said, “but the psychological aspects of sexual function—including how we think about our own bodies, our attraction to our partners, and our ability to connect to people intimately—are all important to psychological wellbeing in sexually active adults.”

Legalizing Marijuana Leads To ‘Substantial Decrease’ In Intimate Partner Violence, Study Shows

Photo courtesy of Mike Latimer.