Does marijuana really cause erectile dysfunction?

It’s been a source of debate for some years now—whether weed improves sexual performance or harms it in men. But a new article by Justin Lehmiller, PhD and sex educator and researcher at Ball State University (LOL), has helped clear the air somewhat by taking a, ahem, hard look at the evidence we have thus far.

According to Lehmiller, previous studies involving self-reports often found that men consider their sexual stamina to increase—in one particular 1982 study, 75% of men found this to be the case. However, there is one major issue with this research: Consuming marijuana shifts the mind’s perspective of the world, including the conceptions of time. Which means that the men may very well have thought they gained stamina, when in reality they spent the same amount of real time as normal, or maybe even shorter than when they were sober.
To circumvent this issue in perception, scientists took to using animals to find the direct effects of cannabis. Several studies have found that (in animals), weed worked to inhibit receptors within the erectile tissue of penises—which could easily translate to humans as well, although it has not yet been shown.
Although, a small 2010 study discovered that male penile tissue within rhesus monkeys and humans actually has receptors for the active ingredient of marijuana, THC. The receptors were found in the smooth muscle in particular—which makes up 70 to 80 percent of the penis and grants erections. Coupled with previous data suggesting that THC has a negative effect on smooth muscle, and data showing that marijuana smokers have a three times higher occurrence of erectile dysfunction, it seems highly likely weed will lay you low.
Different strokes for different folks
But of course, there are some caveats to these findings. For example, marijuana has different strains that affect the body differently. According to Lehmiller, the indica strain is more relaxing, while sativa seems to be stimulating—meaning the studies could be skewed if participants came from an area where a specific strain dominated. So if a study happens in a region where the indica strain is popular, they could find more incidents of sexual performance lapses.
There are many individual differences that could affect personal outcomes as well. Body chemistry can change how marijuana works on a person, along with the amount consumed, tolerance levels, and personal expectations; believing you’ll become Casanova or fearing you might become cooked spaghetti could also change your evening.
So, in short: The evidence seems to indicate that yes, cannabis leads to problems with male sexual performance, but nothing is conclusive yet. More human studies and focus on the effects of different strains will serve to point us in a more definite direction.
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