Is sex better when drunk or stoned?

• Position: Life in America

A study published in Archives of Sexual Behavior by researchers affiliated with New York University's Center for Drug Use and HIV Research compared self-reported sexual experiences related to use of alcohol and marijuana. Since marijuana has increased in popularity in the U.S., the researchers examined if--and how--its use may influence risk for unsafe sexual behavior.

"With marijuana becoming more accepted in the U.S. along with more liberal state-level policies, it is Important to examine users' sexual experiences and sexual risk behavior associated with use to inform prevention and harm reduction," notes Joseph J. Palamar, assistant professor of Population Health at NYU Medical Center.

Compared to marijuana, alcohol use was more commonly associated with social outgoingness and use often facilitated connections with potential sexual partners. However, alcohol was more likely than marijuana to lead to atypical partner choice or postsex regret. Alcohol commonly was used as a social lubricant to meet sexual partners, and this was related, in part, to alcohol being readily available in social gatherings.

"Interestingly, some users reported that the Illegality of marijuana actually facilitated sexual interactions," relates Palamar. "Since smoking marijuana recreationally is illegal in most states and smoking it tends to produce a strong odor, it usually has to be used in a private setting. Some individuals utilize such private or Intimate situations to facilitate sexual encounters."

While users often described favorable sexual effects of each drug, both alcohol and marijuana were associated with a variety of negatives, including sexual dysfunction. For instance, marijuana use was linked to vaginal dryness and alcohol commonly was described as increasing the...