Cannabis and Sex: What Does Research Actually Say?

People have been asking whether cannabis changes sex for decades, and the honest research answer is: it depends on who is asked, how, and what is being measured. Most of what exists comes from surveys. Controlled experiments are scarce.

What Researchers Have Studied

The published work falls into a few groups. Large population surveys ask how often people have sex and whether they use cannabis. Smaller clinic or online surveys ask about experiences of desire, arousal, orgasm, and satisfaction. Systematic reviews then try to pool what exists. Very little of it randomly assigns people to cannabis or placebo and measures sexual outcomes.

A 2024 review in Psychopharmacology describes the overall relationship as complex. Its authors report that people who use cannabis more often tend to report more sexual activity, that men and women appear to respond differently, and that lower doses are linked with greater desire and enjoyment while higher doses may be linked with lower desire and performance. They also say precise dose measurement in human studies is a crucial next step (Lissitsa et al., 2024).

Potential Effects on Sexual Experiences

Frequency. An analysis of three waves of the U.S. National Survey of Family Growth covered 28,176 women and 22,943 men. After adjusting for demographic and socioeconomic factors, cannabis use was associated with more frequent sex in the preceding four weeks, and the authors concluded it did not appear to impair sexual function (Sun and Eisenberg, 2017).

Subjective experience. In an online survey of 216 people with cannabis experience, about half (52.3%) said they had used it to alter sex. Of those who answered each question, 58.9% reported increased desire, 73.8% greater satisfaction, 74.3% more touch sensitivity, and 65.7% more intense orgasms. Most said they could relax more, and half said they could focus better (Wiebe and Just, 2019). Participants were self-selected, so the sample is likely to over-represent people who liked the experience.

Women’s sexual function. At one obstetrics and gynecology practice, 34.0% of 373 patients had used marijuana before sex. Those who did had higher adjusted odds of reporting satisfactory orgasms (adjusted odds ratio 2.13, 95% CI 1.05–4.35) (Lynn et al., 2019). A separate survey of 452 dispensary customers using the Female Sexual Function Index found higher scores with more frequent use, while method of consumption and chemovar did not consistently matter (Kasman et al., 2020).

Self-Reported Experience vs. Clinical Evidence

These findings share a limitation: people describe their own experience, usually after the fact, and nobody is randomly assigned. A 2025 systematic review of cannabis and female orgasm found 16 studies covering 8,849 females. One was a randomized controlled trial; the rest were observational, and most were nonrandomized without comparison groups and at high risk of bias. All nine studies that examined use before sex reported improved orgasm function, but one found situational anorgasmia and another found more difficulty with focus (Mulvehill and Tishler, 2025).

Correlation Is Not Causation

If people who use cannabis report more sex, several explanations are possible, and these studies do not sort among them. Cannabis could change the experience. People with certain personalities, social lives, or relationship circumstances could be more likely to use cannabis and also have more sex. People who enjoy the effects may be more willing to answer a cannabis survey. Each explanation would produce the same headline number.

Potential Risks and Limitations

• Erectile function. A meta-analysis of five case-control studies (1,035 men who smoked cannabis and 2,360 who did not) reported an odds ratio of 3.83 for erectile dysfunction in users (95% CI 1.30–11.28). The authors flagged very high heterogeneity and a prediction interval that included no difference, and recommended longitudinal research (Pizzol et al., 2019). Its findings sit uneasily beside the survey reports above, which is itself a reason for caution.
• Impairment and judgment. The CDC notes that cannabis can slow reaction time and the ability to make decisions and can distort perception (CDC cannabis health effects). Impaired judgment matters for consent; see our guide for couples.
• Mental health. The CDC reports cannabis use has been linked with social anxiety, depression, and schizophrenia, and that scientists do not fully understand those relationships. For some people anxiety, not arousal, is the main effect. See our anxiety research review.
• Dose and individual variation. Delivery method, THC potency, tolerance, and context all vary, and most studies do not measure them precisely.

Questions That Remain Unanswered

Researchers have not established whether cannabis changes sexual function directly or mostly through relaxation and altered perception, which doses help or hinder, whether effects differ for THC and CBD, how long-term use affects sexual health, or who is most likely to benefit or be harmed. The 2024 review calls for more precise dose measurement for exactly this reason (Lissitsa et al., 2024).

If you have a sexual health concern, a clinician can evaluate causes that include medication side effects, hormones, circulation, stress, and relationship factors. Cannabis is not an established treatment for any of them.

Related reading: Does cannabis increase sexual desire? · Cannabis, couples, and intimacy · Cannabis & Intimacy hub