Cannabis and Sex – What A High Can Do for You

Two people kissing surrounded by smoke which has formed hearts

A cannabis high can have many effects, both psychologically and physically. Many cannabis users have reported that cannabis can enhance their sex lives. But usually, we underestimate in how many ways a cannabis high can positively enrich sexual experiences.

How can a cannabis high enhance sex – if used with skills and knowledge under favourable circumstances? My short answer is: in many more ways as are usually cited. Cannabis and sex go well together.

“If one wanted to depict the whole thing graphically, every episode, with its climax, would require a three-dimensional, or, rather, no model: every experience is unrepeatable. What makes lovemaking and reading resemble each other most is that within both of them times and spaces open, different from measurable time and space.”

Italo Calvino (1923-1985), If on a Winter’s Night a Traveller
A snail on top of a red clock with white numbers

Even experts strongly underrate the wide spectrum of psychological effects of a marijuana high. I call this spectrum the psychological “effect-bouquet” of the high. The high affects a whole range of cognitive and physiological functions, from episodic memory, attention, and pattern recognition to the alteration of our sense of time, the perception of our body, imagination, creative thinking, and empathic understanding.

Each of these functions can play a crucial role in the enhancement of sexual encounters. So, let me give you a short survey of the many ways in which these effects can enhance sex.

The cannabis high – A sensual effect-bouquet

Cannabis has been used for thousands of years for many purposes and many cultures and subcultures worldwide have explored its value for sex throughout history. In the region of the northern Himalayas and India, cannabis has been used since pre-historic times in shamanism.

In some lineages of the tantric sex tradition, cannabis was used to induce a meditative state, to bring one’s mind back to the “here-and-now” of the moment, and to ultimately come to a state of enlightenment through sexual practices. These ancient uses of cannabis by far surpass our current Western understanding of both the potential of the sexual experience itself, as well as the potential of a cannabis high for its enhancement.

But even without such tantric knowledge, countless contemporary cannabis users have reported to rediscover various uses of the cannabis high to enhance their sex lives. When high, they focus their attention on the here-and-now and relax; they forget about a previous verbal fight with their partner, about an upcoming exam the next day. In this space, they concentrate on their own body, and on their partner, his or her current needs, longings, desires.

A man and a woman kissing

Their attention often tends to be redirected to the body. Bodily sensations are intensified and experienced in more depth; the touch of lips during kissing, scents, stroking – everything appears more intense, but also more detailed in perception.

You seem to be separated from the past and future, floating. Time seems to slow down during a high. As Carl Sagan once remarked, this perceptual slowdown of time leads to a prolonged sensation of orgasm and, I would add, a prolonged sensation of the whole experience of lovemaking.

All of the effects cited so far have been quoted by others when it comes to the positive effects of the high on sex – but these are only the beginning. One of the most important, yet often ignored enhancements during a high is described in a tale from the Arabian story collection One Thousand and One Nights. In the story, a stoner obviously “trips” on a large amount of hashish and comes back to his senses in a public bath:

„He opened his eyes and found himself lying on the marge of the cold-water tank, amongst a crowd of people all laughing at him; for his prickle was at point and the napkin had slipped from his middle. So he knew that all this was but a confusion of dreams and an illusion of Hashish (…)’”

During a strong high under such a large dosage, cannabis users have often reported “visual trips”. Even for moderate dosages of marijuana, though, imaginative abilities can become enhanced. Imagination plays a crucial role for sex, but when it comes to the subject of cannabis and sex, commentators forget to mention this enhancement during a high.

Furthermore, innumerable cannabis users have described an enhanced ability for pattern recognition during a high. They discover a rigid pattern in their own walking style or a disposition for defensive behaviour in a chess opponent. During high sex, enhanced pattern recognition can become helpful in many ways.

A woman with brown hair smoking a joint

It can help to recognize a mood better in a partner’s body language, or to recognize a boring sexual routine one has been going through for a while with one’s partner – which helps to then transcend the routine.

Many users have reported that they become too introspective during sex, which definitely does not help with the experience. Dosage, skills, mood, attitude, and context seem to play a crucial role here.

For many others, however, the high not only generates strong feelings of intimacy, but leads to a truly deeper empathic understanding of the other’s character, needs, and wishes, based on various patterns in a partner’s body language, in the tone of what is said or in facial gestures. This enhancement of empathic understanding is fundamental to sex, which is like a dance, a form of communication in constant need of new common explorations and fascinating discoveries.

Which brings us to one more fundamental effect of the high, the enhancement of creativity. High lovers often break with routines and become creative during their lovemaking. Additionally, the high can bring an anxiolytic effect, which helps to overcome moral and other inhibitions. This can be a major factor for entering a true energetic sexual flow.

As Jim Morrison once said:

“Sex is full of lies. The body tries to tell the truth. But, it’s usually too battered with rules to be heard, and bound with pretenses so it can hardly move. We cripple ourselves with lies.”

To summarize, then, there is a whole bouquet of effects during a high which can all be profoundly useful for the enhancement of sex. During sex you experience the richness and uniqueness of various altered states of consciousness which culminate in an orgasm. Mix in these emotionally and intellectually charged alterations and it could give a stark new meaning to the experience.

A diagram of cannabinoids

The entourage effect of cannabis on sex

Are there other more direct physiological ways in which cannabis can change the way we experience sex?  What about consumption methods: Can it have effects when applied topically or consumed orally, and if so, do the effects differ? Despite a lot of anecdotal evidence of the aphrodisiac effects of marijuana, we haven’t really yet begun to research just how effective it may be as a topical application.

But if we want to better understand how much cannabis can do for sex based on what has been researched, we need to further investigate the entourage effect of marijuana. Cannabis expresses more than 100 cannabinoids, more than 150 terpenes, and some flavonoids, which synergistically interact and generate various highs through an “entourage effect”.

The unique “effect bouquet” of cannabis described above varies significantly for each cannabis strain and depends on its unique composition. Users will have to find which weed strain works best for them. Meanwhile, some breeders are striving to create specific ‘sex-pot’-strains.

Who knows, maybe some tantric herbalists created the most incredible strains for sex a long time ago that we just haven’t discovered yet. One thing’s for sure, though; there’s a pleasurable journey ahead for all of us if we’re able and willing to try – a journey that began thousands of years ago.

  • Disclaimer:
    This article is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult with your doctor or other licensed medical professional. Do not delay seeking medical advice or disregard medical advice due to something you have read on this website.

Comments

4 thoughts on “Cannabis and Sex – What A High Can Do for You”

  1. I am a 53 year old menopausal woman. Cannabis oil has changed my life. My sex life and all aspects. I have never known such intensity in feelings. It’s made me a bit obsessed lol. But doesn’t happen everytime just when most relaxed just thought i would share! for my husbands sake I am desperate to keep these feelings going do any recommendations welcome. I had some green crack strain before but only in a tincture strain.

    1. Mark Smith - Sensi Seeds

      Good morning Niki,

      Thanks for sharing your experiences with us, that’s great that cannabis has changed your sex life and awoken your senses!
      Green Cracks parent strains is our very own Skunk #1, so maybe that should be next on your list?

      I hope you continue to enjoy the blog, and have a fantastic day!

      Mark

  2. A very good, article never the less, by the way your link for Sebastian Marincolo has broken. To show that in the real world shit does happen, I call that part os the bitter sweet tapestry
    Have another great day.

    1. Scarlet Palmer - Sensi Seeds

      Hi Bill,

      Thanks for your comment, and for pointing that out to us! I’m working on fixing it now. In the meantime, I hope you continue to enjoy the blog.

      With best wishes,

      Scarlet

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  • Author_profile-Sebastian-Marincolo

    Sebastian Marincolo

    Marincolo completed his doctorate with a focus on the philosophy of mind & neurocognition and has published many essays and four books on the mind-enhancing potential of the cannabis high. He also produced the macro photo art series “The Art of Cannabis”. He worked as a writer, blogger, photographer, photo artist, creative director, as well as a Director of Communications for one of the biggest cannabis companies in the world.
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