The Correlation of Women's Sexual Health and Marijuana Use

Marijuana is the most commonly used illicit drug (19.8 million past-month users) according to the 2013 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH).

There is a current movement towards the legalization of marijuana in various states and there are numerous claims of potential uses in medicine.

The internet is rich with nonscientific, non-evidence based information regarding the effects of marijuana on the sex lives of women. However, surprisingly little scientific research has been done on it.

Cannabis use and sexual function Endocannabinoids, which are structurally similar to cannabis (marijuana) help regulate a number of motivated behaviors and emotional states, including sexual function. There are a variety of ways that cannabinoids interact with the hormones and neurotransmitters that affect sexual behavior. This interaction has not been clearly elucidated but studies in rats have helped to clarify the relationship between cannabinoids and the hormones and neurotransmitters that affect sexual behavior.

In male rats, administration of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC, the psychoactive compound in marijuana) reduced sexual motivation. In female rats, the relationship between THC and sexual behavior is less clear. found that giving female rats a low dose of THC increased their receptivity to copulation. However a high dose interfered with receptivity, also found that THC stimulated receptivity and increased proceptivity ("courting behavior") in female hamsters.