People Have More Sex in States with Legalized Medical Cannabis
[dropcap class=”kp-dropcap”]A[/dropcap]ccording to the results of a new study, people who live in states with medical cannabis are reported to have more sex. The study was made available online on Dec. 28, 2019, and it was published in the Volume 69, 2020 issue of the “Journal of Health Economics.”
“We find that [medical cannabis laws] cause an increase in sexual activity,” researchers wrote in their conclusion, but added that some risk factors are also evident, such as increased birth rates and precarious sexual behavior. Marijuana Moment reports that the findings indicate a 4.3 percent increase in the “likelihood of having sex once or more in the past month.”
The research team included associates from the University of Connecticut and Georgia State University. David Simon, PhD, is co-author of the study and an assistant professor at the Department of Economics at the University of Connecticut located in Mansfield, Connecticut. Simon told Yahoo Lifestyle that since cannabis “treats chronic pain, improves life satisfaction, and decreases opioid abuse, it could result in heightened libidos/improved sex life.”
“With the liberalization of marijuana laws,” Simon added, “there has been an increase in cannabis-based products designed to improve sexual wellness, including products that help remove anxiety or pain associated with sex.”
The research team added that smaller amounts of cannabis are more likely to increase libido, but heavy amounts can actually lower libido. The team also cautioned that medical cannabis laws in states also lead to a decrease in contraception, which is potentially dangerous. They found that states that had legalized medical cannabis also exhibited lower contraception sales—such as condom sales.
More sex and less contraception also means more babies. Investigators found a mean increase of two percent for births in states with medical cannabis, which translates to about 333 more births per quarter.
A study published last June found that cannabis makes sex more pleasurable among women. Numerous sexual products designed for women are infused with cannabis. A number of sexual therapists have hypothesized why cannabis increases sex drive and many found that combining sex and cannabis produces individualized results.
