Yes there is! A 2017 study of about 50,000 participants found that marijuana use led to increased sexual frequency and drive.1 Research conducted through a gynecology office found that female cannabis users had increased sexual drive, improved ability to orgasm, and decreased pain during sex. The women in this study who used cannabis were over two times more likely to report satisfaction with their orgasms.2 An expanding body of research has shown that THC use leads to reduced anxiety during sex, increased sexual desire and pleasure, improved length of sexual encounter, and increased number and quality of orgasms.3,4
Cannabis works to improve sex through a variety of proposed mechanisms. There are cannabinoid receptors in parts of the brain that regulate the release of oxytocin, a compound that causes intense feelings of pleasure, and gonadotropin-releasing hormone, which plays multiple roles in sexual functioning. You may have heard of dopamine and serotonin, neurotransmitters that are important feel-good substances in the brain. It is thought that activation of the CB receptors in the brain increases dopamine levels, which is the key to increasing female sexual excitement. THC delivered directly to the vagina or anus may also increase dilation of vessels and blood circulation, leading to increased sexual excitement, heightened perception of touch, and improved orgasm.
1. Sun AJ, Eisenberg ML. Association Between Marijuana Use and Sexual Frequency in the United States: A Population-Based Study. J Sex Med 2017;14:1342–1347 2. Lynn BK, López JD, Miller C, et al. The Relationship between Marijuana Use Prior to Sex and Sexual Function in Women. Sex Med 2019;7:192–197 3. Lynn B, Gee A, Zhang L, et al. Effects of Cannabinoids on Female Sexual Function. Sex Med Rev 2020;8:18–27 4. Androvicova R, Horacek J, Stark T, Drago F, Micale V. Endocannabinoid System in Sexual Motivational Process: Is it a Novel Therapeutic Horizon? Pharmacol Res. 2017 Jan;115:200-208