Women have been offered an impressive and relentless range of things supposedly capable of improving their sex lives. Some may say, all they need is an attentive partner with a suitable shaped and sized tool to use. The array of enhancements is endless – Candles. Lingerie. Pheromone scented oils. Pelvic-floor exercises. Vibrating toys and even toys that look like a lemon or avocado. Now cannabis has joined the list, and unlike many of the other snake oil inventions, there is at least some research suggesting it might actually do something.
Several studies have found that women who use cannabis before sex report stronger desire, more satisfying orgasms, heightened sensation and, in some cases, less pain That sounds suspiciously like the sort of claim normally printed on the side of a £48 bottle of “intimate botanical serum”. The difference is that researchers are beginning to take this one seriously.
A 2019 study involving 373 women found that those who used cannabis before sex had more than twice the odds of reporting satisfying orgasms compared with those who did not. Many also reported increased desire and reduced pain, although the only statistically significant difference between the groups was orgasm satisfaction. A larger study published in 2024 looked specifically at women who had difficulty reaching orgasm. Among those participants, almost 73 per cent said cannabis increased how often they came, 71 per cent said it made orgasm easier and 67 per cent said it made their orgasms more satisfying. Those numbers are interesting.
They are not, however, proof that every woman should get stoned before taking her clothes off.
Most of the research consists of surveys in which people describe their own experiences. The participants already use cannabis, may already believe it improves sex and are not necessarily representative of women in general. A 2025 review gathered 16 studies containing data from 8,849 women. The results leaned heavily in the same direction, particularly for orgasm, but 15 of the 16 studies were observational and many had a high risk of bias. Researchers also had limited information about doses, strains, THC content, CBD content and exactly when the cannabis was taken. So there appears to be something going on. We are just not yet in a position to prescribe two spliffs and a Barry White album.
Getting Out of Your Head
The most convincing explanation may be less about cannabis turning women into rampant sex beasts and more about it making it easier to stop thinking for a while. Good sex requires a certain amount of attention. Unfortunately, the human brain is perfectly capable of using that moment to wonder whether the bedroom door is locked, whether your stomach looks strange from that angle and whether the other person has noticed you are wondering whether your stomach looks strange.
People in cannabis studies commonly describe feeling more relaxed, more sensitive to touch and more absorbed in physical sensations. Some say time feels slower, touch feels stronger and the usual background noise becomes less intrusive. For women who struggle to stay present, that may be the useful part. Cannabis does not necessarily create desire from nowhere. It may simply make it easier to notice the desire that was already there.
That is also why relationship status has little to do with the story.
The research does not reveal a new tribe of single women purchasing medically sanctioned bedroom weed. It includes women of different ages and circumstances, usually discussing partnered sex. Some may be single, some married, some casually dating and some presumably trying to avoid waking the children. The common factor is not whether they share a Netflix account. It is whether cannabis changes their sexual experience.
Sometimes Better, Sometimes Considerably Weirder
Cannabis is not reliably sexy. For some people it increases touch, relaxation and pleasure. For others it produces dry mouth, sleepiness, distraction, anxiety or an intense interest in whether the pattern on the ceiling has always been there. Dose appears to matter. Previous reviews have suggested that lower doses may facilitate female desire or have little effect, while higher doses can inhibit it. Higher-dose THC has also been associated with a greater likelihood of anxiety-related effects.
What the research does not provide is a universally safe or effective “sex dose”. Edibles can also take longer to work and last much longer than expected, making them a poor place for enthusiastic guesswork.
Anyone using prescribed medical cannabis should follow the prescription rather than treating it as a pick-and-mix aphrodisiac. Recreational cannabis remains illegal in the UK, while legal access to medical cannabis requires a prescription from an appropriate specialist doctor. That legal distinction matters. Calling any deliberate cannabis use “medical” does not make it medical, in much the same way that drinking tequila to improve your dancing does not constitute physiotherapy.
The Serious Bit
Cannabis and alcohol can increase impairment when combined. Research has also associated using the two together with lower feelings of internal sexual consent than using either substance alone. The sensible rule is uncomplicated: discuss boundaries while everyone is clear-headed, and do not have sex with somebody who is too impaired to make or communicate decisions.
Cannabis can also interact with medicines, and the risks vary according to the product, dose and medication involved. Anyone taking prescribed drugs should speak to a doctor or pharmacist rather than relying on advice from a dispensary menu, Reddit or somebody called Moonchild at a festival handing out hash brownies. Regular cannabis use can lead to tolerance or dependence for some people. That does not mean using it during sex will automatically make sober sex impossible, but needing any substance every time is worth noticing rather than dressing up as a wellness routine.
The genuinely interesting part of this story is not that single women have suddenly discovered weed. It is that women are speaking more openly about what helps them feel desire, reach orgasm and remain present during sex, while researchers are finally treating female pleasure as a subject worthy of proper investigation. Cannabis may help some women. It may send others into an anxious conversation with the ceiling. But compared with pheromone scented candles, it has made a surprisingly strong start.
