Four U.S. States are considering adding female orgasmic disorders (FOD) to the list of qualifying conditions for medical marijuana. Supporters point to an increasing body of research that shows cannabis can improve orgasmic satisfaction, ease, and frequency in those with FOD.
Ohio has already begun weighing this change. The State Medical Board announced earlier this month , that FOD and autism spectrum disorder would be moved forward to expert review and public comments following online petitions. The State Medical Board is accepting comments until Thursday.
The organizers of the Female Orgasm Research Institute, a nonprofit organization, say that Illinois regulators will meet in the next month to discuss adding as a qualifying condition. New Mexico, on the other hand, is expected to take up the issue in the coming months. Connecticut is also looking at the addition. However, no date for a meeting has been set.
Suzanne Mulvehill is the founder and executive director for the organization. She has been a leader in the campaign to have states recognize the benefits cannabis can provide to people with FOD. Mulvehill estimates that up to 41% of women suffer from the disorder. She submitted a request last year to include the disorder on Ohio’s list.
Mulvehill, a clinical psychologist, cites research dating back to the 1970s which has been supported more recently by studies that show that marijuana consumption before sex increases the likelihood of an orgasm, or multiple orgasms. It also eases orgasm difficulties and boosts satisfaction. She wrote a dissertation for her PhD in clinical sexuality about the use of cannabis to treat FOD. An observational study found that over half of the female subjects (52% of them) had the disorder.
Mulvehill said in an interview that women with FOD suffer from more mental illnesses and are taking more prescription medications. “They are more likely to suffer from anxiety, depression, PTSD and sexual abuse. It’s more than just pleasure. It’s a human rights issue.
She added, “It is a medical condition which deserves medical treatment.”
Cannabis users are well aware that the drug can help them achieve orgasms. According to current research, about a third (or more) of women who smoke cannabis do it as a way to enhance sex. Mulvehill claims that this percentage has remained relatively constant over the years.
Mulvehill stated, “This is not a new piece of information.”
The willingness of government agencies is what is new. Mulvehill stated that, as far as her knowledge goes, Ohio is the only state to consider FOD as an eligible condition.
Not only that, but Ohio’s meeting earlier this month “was the first time I know of any public government talking about female orgasmic difficulty/disorder,” she said.
Jordan Tishler is a cannabis specialist and vice president at the Female Orgasm Research Institute. He said that advocates often face a difficult task in bringing attention to cannabis’s benefits for FOD.
He told Marijuana moment that “two taboo topics” are a complicating factor in the field. As we can see, Americans don’t handle cannabis well. They also don’t handle sex well.
In recent years there have been several studies “that really have moved this field ahead in terms of well-done, quantitative studies of reasonable size.” The only thing that is missing–and Dr. Mulvehill, and I, are working to fix–is the gold standard–the randomized controlled trials. We’re facing some difficulties because cannabis is a controversial drug.
He said that cannabis users have known this for years, but there are many Americans who would benefit from cannabinoid treatment.
There’s increasing evidence that marijuana improves sexual function, regardless of gender or sex. In a study published in the Journal of Cannabis Research last year, more than 70% of adults surveyed said that cannabis increased desire and orgasms before sex. Meanwhile, 62.5 percent of those surveyed said cannabis improved pleasure when masturbating.
The authors of the study stated that cannabis could “potentially close the orgasm gap in equality” because past studies showed women who had sex with a man were less likely to experience orgasms than their partners.
In a 2020 study published in the Journal of Sexual Medicine, it was found that women with higher cannabis use had better sex.
Many online surveys also report positive associations with marijuana and sex. One study found that the passage marijuana laws led to an increase in sexual activity.
Another study warns, however, that marijuana does not necessarily lead to better sex. In a literature review from 2019, it was found that the impact of cannabis on libido could depend on dosage. Lower amounts of THC were associated with higher levels of arousal, and satisfaction. The study concluded that most studies have shown marijuana to be beneficial for women’s sexual functions. However, too much THC may actually cause harm.
The review authors noted that “Several studies have evaluated marijuana’s effects on libido and it appears that changes in desire might be dose-dependent.” The review’s authors wrote: “Studies show that lower doses increase desire, but higher doses lower desire or have no effect at all.”
Tishler explained that cannabis can interfere with the brain’s default-mode network and cause it to malfunction. Tishler said that for many women who are unable to orgasm there is a complex interaction between the frontal cortex, which is a part of the brain ]’–that is responsible for the “should have, could have, should have” and the limbic system.
He continued, “All of that is moderated by default mode network.”
Many psychedelic-assisted treatments also involve the modulation of default mode networks. Some research suggests that these substances may also improve sexual function and pleasure.
A paper published in Nature Scientific Reports last month, which claimed to be the first formal scientific study exploring the effects of psychedelics and sexual function, found that drugs like psilocybin mushroom and LSD can have positive effects on sexual performance even months after their use.
One of the study’s authors said that “on the surface this type of research might seem ‘quirky’, but the psychological aspects of sexual functions–including our thoughts about our bodies, our attraction to partners, and our capacity to connect with people intimately are all important for psychological wellbeing among sexually active adults.”
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Photo by Mike Latimer.
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