It’s My Pleasure

Earlier this year I saw this meme, captioned "Weed helps prevent me from doing this to me."

One of the great psychological benefits that people can experience from using cannabis is a greater sense of self-compassion and a release of judgement and shame. And for things like human sexuality that are still societally taboo to discuss, and can come with a lot of baggage, I'd venture to guess there are a lot of people who could benefit from a little experimentation with mixing the two. (If you have no communication issues in regard to sex, this newsletter is not for you - run along you wild and erotically empowered being!)

A little intimate context: I've been doing some reading about the concept of "pleasure". I’ll spare you my diary excerpts, but the high level takeaway is that there has never been a better time to question how you relate to and experience your physical body, and how you allow it to seek and claim pleasure. I want to note that "pleasure" is not just a sexual experience—pleasure is a chemical reaction in your brain that has numerous triggers. Eating, exercising, petting dogs, wearing perfume, bathing, smelling trees, cuddling, anything that makes you feel good/calm/restored... maybe take a minute to write your own list of pleasures.

Not only is being aware of your pleasure-intake good for you, it's good for the people around you. To update the scientifically inaccurate Elle Woods quote, "Exercise gives you [anandamide]. [Anandamide] makes you happy. Happy people just don't kill their husbands."

Extra points if you remembered from my earlier posts that in your Endocannabinoid System, anandamide (aka the "bliss" molecule) is made by your body and looks so similar to THC, that your body can't tell the difference between the two --- although THC's effects are felt much stronger than anandamide. Therefore, I think we can officially dub THC as THE PLEASURE MULTIPLYING MOLECULE.

Any of these already pleasurable experiences on your list can be that much more pleasurable when cannabis gets involved. (If you haven't discovered this already, you are probably using the wrong product for your body chemistry, I encourage you to experiment with it—and reach out if you want recommendations!)

So let's get into some specifics of what to expect when pairing cannabis with the pleasure activity that will top many of your lists (sex, mom, I’m talking about sex):

1. Being high affects how you experience time. Time feels more drawn out and experiences seem like they go on for longer than in reality. If you're experiencing something pleasurable, why wouldn't you want to slow down time? This can help with performance anxiety or feeling rushed, and embolden you to be more experimental and switch things up.

2. Being high affects your short-term memory. While this can be inconvenient if you are trying to tell a long story, in a situation where you want to be present and not have your mind wandering, this can be a good thing. I'd recommend experimenting with a balanced indica/sativa hybrid, 1:1 CBD strain, or indica-leaning strain with terpenes like limonene (euphoric, calming), linalool (anxiety-reducing), or beta-caryophyllene (brain boosting, relaxing). Or if you keep good weed notes in your Pot Luck Tasting Booklets, a strain that felt nice and warm and tingly in your body is likely to be a good companion here. You probably don't want something super energizing/heady (but I guess that depends what you're into) or something super sedative and sleepy. As you know by now, I am a steadfast member of the “less is more” camp, and that is especially relevant here. You still want to feel in control and able to communicate with your partner, with a little extra sparkle around the edges.

3. Being high can anecdotally benefit arousal (for female bodies). Not much scientific research here yet unfortunately, but THC can heighten your senses and sensations in your body, increase blood flow (when applied locally), decrease pain, as well as lower inhibitions, which all combine to impart sex-positivity. Don't want to get high but still want the benefits? Try CBD or even THC topicals. I'd recommend smoking or topicals due to their quick onset (~5-15 minutes). But if you're more into planning than spontaneity, then taking a micro-dosed edible 2 hours before you want it to kick in is also an option, and edibles often tend to have more body-focused effects than smoking.

4. The right dose of THC can specifically help people who've experienced sexual trauma or who have performance anxiety get over some of their mental hurdles. It does this by activating the receptors in the area of the brain that are responsible for your memory/emotions/nervous system and therefore can decrease anxiety or reactivity in sexual situations when you're high and those receptors are turned on.

5. CBD boosts your body’s production of a natural cannabinoid called 2-AG. Do you know what else makes your body release lots of 2-AG? Orgasms. So there's evidence to suggest that CBD-based products could be beneficial to setting the stage for that build up, by reducing tension and relaxing the body.


As with all drugs, set and setting are very important to ensure you have a positive experience. Most importantly, if using with a partner, it should be someone you trust and communicate openly with about why you’re enlisting this bedroom helper (it also may have more benefits for long-term couples that feel stuck in a rut than new ones who are still learning about each other). Maybe only one person uses it and the experience gets to be all about their pleasure, and then next time you switch. Maybe you want to try it alone first to learn how it affects you so that you're more comfortable.


There's a lot of follow up reading here if you want it. Foria has a great blog, as well as Miss Grass. I also am citing this article or this one for most of the points above.

I hope you enjoy the experiment and find new ways to enhance your pleasures!