Page 34 - AVN December 2016

LEGAL NEWS
SEXPLORATIONS | |By Anka Radakovich
STOP, THIEF | |By Nate Glass
The study
found that
”
“Marijuana
smoking
enhances
sexual pleasure
and increases
sexual desire.”
Anka Radakovich is legendary sex columnist who
wrote a groundbreaking column for Details maga-
zine. Currently she writes for British GQ and
Sexpert.com. She is the author of three books,
including her newest, The Wild Girls Club, Part 2.
She has appeared multiple times on television
talk shows, including eight appearances with
Conan O’Brien. She is also a certified sexologist.
We are thrilled to have her as a contributor.
Follow Anka Radakovich on Twitter: @ankarad.
34 | AVN.com | 12.16
34 | AVN.com | 12.16
Sexpot How cannabis is improving people’s sex lives
Now that cannabis is legal in 28 states in
increases sexual desire.” An earlier study in 1977 (Jarvik and Brecher) found that
the U.S. including recreational use in
marijuana “[l]oosens inhibitions, enhances sensate focus, and causes a general
California, it’s time to talk about the sexual
increase in enjoyment.” A more recent study in 2016 found that given a choice
benefits of marijuana. For those of you who
between being buzzed by alcohol or cannabis, research subjects preferred pot as
use it, you know that pot can enhance sex
a sexual enhancement. Although both lower inhibitions, couples thought that
and make it more incredible. For those of
alcohol “numbed” their tactile sensations, while pot “heightened” their sense of
you who don’t, try it before having sex; the
touch. Participants said that pot made them feel “tingly.”
only thing you have to lose is your load.
Dr. Nick Karras, D.H.S., a sex therapist from San Diego, California, says that
The law allowing recreational use of
cannabis “lights up your senses.” He recommends that couples use cannabis as
pot doesn’t take effect in California until
“sexual medicine.”
January of 2018, but practically anyone
“There is a ‘coming out’ process people have in relation to revealing that
over 21 with a California driver’s license
they are a cannabis user,” he says. There is still a stigma of being a “pothead”
can get a medical marijuana license and
or a “stoner,” but those who use it wisely, like Karras—who personally uses it
buy it at a dispensary. Many people who
“exclusively for sex”—see it as a substance to specifically enhance sexual pleasure.
are afraid to use it say marijuana makes
Karras notes that as a couple’s counselor, he has seen older couples who “had no
them paranoid or sleepy. But once you
sex life” and “were about to get divorced because of that” go from having no sex to
discover the different qualities of each
having a “bonding, loving, pleasurable sex life.”
cannabis strain—the ones that don’t make
“I’ve seen cannabis use save marriages,” he says.
you paranoid, strains that wake you up,
Testimonials from couples he has collected on his site say that it “gave them
and others that help you sleep—cannabis
new sexual energy,” “heightened touch,” “relieved anxiety and stress.” Most
connoisseurship is like wine tasting. (Or
importantly, it “stimulated and relaxed” them at the same time”, a combo that
“wife tasting.”)
always makes for the most fun sex.
Sexual Healing
For centuries cannabis has been used
in Ayurvedic medicine, one of the world’s
oldest holistic (whole-body) healing
systems, developed thousands of years ago.
But today, traditional M.D.s won’t prescribe
certain legal vitamins and supplements, let
alone weed. This is despite the fact that
recent studies found that opiate-based pain
medication prescriptions have dropped 25
percent as cannabis use replaced them,
with the same numbers dropping for sleep
medications.
According to HelloMD, a digital
healthcare platform for the cannabis
industry, “Doctors are often poorly
informed, or dismissive of cannabis,” they
say. “Any licensed California physician or
osteopath can recommend or approve your
use of medical marijuana. However, not
all doctors are comfortable with providing
this, nor informed about the medical use of
cannabis.”
Pot and Sexy Sex Research
Not many sex studies focus on pot and
sex, due to its illegality. There hasn’t been
a definitive Masters & Johnson type study
where people’s brains were scanned since
1984, when a study called “Marijuana Use
and Sexual Behavior” was published in The
Journal of Sex Research.
The study found that “Marijuana
smoking enhances sexual pleasure and
The Pleasures of Pot
So is marijuana technically an “aphrodisiac”? That would be a yes if you
consider that the definitions of aphrodisiac are “stimulates sexual desire,”
“increases libido” or “causes sexual excitement.” Hand me a joint and let’s do it!
Many people who practice Tantric sex use cannabis as part of their ritual. A nice
hybrid pot creates a mindfulness and focus from the sativa that brings people “into
the moment.” Sativas are good for more “energetic sex,” as they give you a lift.
Anything with Indica in it will give you more of a body stone and make your whole
body feel more sensitive to touch. Plus, THC is a vasodilator, so the blood flow to
your junk is amazing. One woman on told Dr. Karras “it made her clit feel huge.”
How to Have Better Sex With Cannabis
Ashley Manta is a “canna sexual” sex educator and columnist for pot industry
publications Leafly and Dope Magazine. Her knowledge has created a niche for
herself doing “coaching” for those who want to learn more about how to improve
their sex lives with cannabis. “People want to know how much they should smoke,
when, and how it all works,” she said.
The secret, say both Manta and Karras, is to “micro dose,” which is using
strains that contain 14 percent THC (many start at 19 percent) and smoke a hit or
two, just enough to get high. “You don’t want to get totally stoned,” says Karras,
or you might not be able to even locate your own genitals.
Manta says that edibles are also not recommended for sex because they can take
anywhere from a half hour to an hour and a half to kick in. And the effects are
more unpredictable.
“I recommend that people establish a ritual,” says Karras. “Turn off the TV,
dim the lights, light some candles, put on some music.” The idea is to lessen the
distractions. “Everyone I told to use it has had the best sex,” Karras says. “Pot
opens you to new possibilities.” (He recommends the “Trainwreck” strain.)
“The female flower of the plant is the plant’s ‘pussy,’” he adds. “And the THC is
the wetness. Cannabis is a wonderful thing.”
Oh, and it makes you want to cuddle afterwards.
Coming soon: In Anka’s own sex research, she “road tests” Foria cannabis “pre-lubricant” oil
and the new cannabis-infused lubes.