Edibles, pre-rolls, and creams!

You’re looking for the perfect gift for this Valentine’s Day — or maybe you want to treat yourself, because why should V-Day be just for the love birds? Instead of a traditional dinner date, chocolates, flowers, and jewelry, trying out a new cannabis product together might be the perfect way to spice things up.

Studies have shown that there might be something to the aphrodisiac powers of cannabis — not just for enhancing pleasure, but for mitigating sex-related pain. It’s an exciting new field that deserves more attention, especially given the difficulties of conducting research for both cannabis and sexual function.

In the meantime, people still have sex. And they have sex while stoned sometimes, too. And interestingly, I’ve been in a unique position to learn a thing or two about what can happen with your orgasms when you’re stoned or sober.

You see, at Lioness, the company where I co-invented a biofeedback vibrator, we engineered a way to visualize orgasms (With sensors! And data! And graphics!) as a way to understand and improve pleasure over time. In the early days of creating the vibrator, a number of us started to see interesting changes when we compared experiences with cannabis versus without. So we decided to explore the topic more.

We even partnered with Eaze last year on their Let’s Toke About Sex data report, where we worked with 19 Lioness users to compare their physiological and subjective effects of cannabis vs. sober experiences with different types of products. Nothing like it had been done before and it was exciting to see what would happen. Even we were surprised by some of the data.

After trying dozens of products and getting feedback from others and firsthand, here are some of our favorite picks when getting down with Mary Jane.

Disclaimer: Everyone is different and things can affect people in different ways, so use this guide as a launching point to craft your perfect pleasure!

Edibles

As noted in the Let’s Toke About Sex report, “THC edibles appear to have the most significant impact on orgasm length and frequency” — and also more consistently than the rest of the products tested.

In lay person’s terms? You might have more and longer lasting orgasms.

Before you down a whole bag of gummies in pursuit of orgasmic bliss, one thing to consider is that edibles might feel overwhelming depending on how much you have and how your body reacts. Sometimes one bad trip can make it hard to enjoy the same way, and that’s no fun at all.

Nowadays, there is a wider selection of products you can try that come in smaller portions — so you can measure what you want, start low if you’re not sure, and not be taken by surprise (if you don’t want to be) like the space brownies back in college.

PLUS and Camino are known for their gummies, and Kiva and Terra have delicious chocolate. Terra even has hot chocolate if you want to curl up near the fireplace with bae. Whether you eat lime gummies, chocolates, or imbibe, there are plenty of ways to safely enjoy your journey and explore your pleasure.

Prerolls / Flower / Vaporizers

Along with edibles, vapes also provided intense and satisfying orgasms for our Lioness study group. Like edibles, they were also the most effective at increasing the number of orgasms among the groups of products tested. The upside compared to edibles is that the effects tend to kick in much faster compared to consuming cannabis, which can take up to an hour to feel the effects.

One of my favorite ones for this is dosist Arouse, a product that was crafted specifically for its aphrodisiac purposes. Frankly, at first I was a bit skeptical because there are a lot of sexual enhancers that fall short of their claims, but myself and another reviewer gave it the thumbs up.

Some of the raw data from the dosist Arouse research…

Even if you don’t go for the pen, the coolest thing with using flower and vapes is that there is a wider selection compared to edibles and topicals, given all the different plant strains and compounds out there. Pure flower also has all of the natural compounds found in the plant, including different terpenes. You can experiment over time and find what works best for you!

Topicals

Want to jazz up the experience a bit but don’t want the psychoactive effects to hit you like a ton of bricks? Topicals might be for you. They’re great if you have achy joints and need a little pick me up before you start your romp, or if you want to experience a more mild body high. You can also incorporate topicals into foreplay by massaging it into your partner’s body. OM Love Balm is a great choice for either of these activities!

Something to keep in mind: If you’re looking for something topical below the equator, be careful what you choose — go for a lubricant in this case. Lotions and creams are not the same as lubricants, and everyone is different in terms of how their body reacts. Especially for folks who experience frequent vaginal infections or irritation, you’ll want to be mindful of the ingredients and make sure that there is nothing in there that could agitate your body.

A note about lube

THC-infused lubricants also exist. They’re designed to be used directly in the vagina and around the vulva, clitoris, and anus. They can be a lot of fun and a natural gift idea for Valentine’s Day, but before you stock up your entire nightstand with weed lube for date night, here are a few quick things to know so you can adjust your expectations and have the best experience possible.

THC lube is a waiting game

Treat THC lube similar to an edible — unlike smoking, it won’t work instantly because it takes time for your body to absorb the ingredients and for you to feel the effects. The biggest reason I’ve seen people get disappointed by THC lube was because they expected instant results.

To address the timeframe, a lot of companies recommend using THC-infused lubricants as a “pre-lube” where you apply it 20 minutes or more before you start feeling the effects. It makes sense, but if you don’t read those directions (and many people don’t), they’ll put the lube on expecting to do something right now when your body needs some time to rev up. Give it some time and it’ll show its magic. If you’re looking for a more instant effect though, smoking would be the quickest way to go.

Choosing the right THC lube

Also important is choosing a THC lube that fits with your sex life. If you use condoms, you’ll want to make sure the lubricant is not oil-based because that can cause breakage, which could put you or others at risk for STIs or pregnancy. We go much more in depth in Lioness’s guide to THC lube here if you are interested in learning more.

Explore and have fun!

Remember that at the end of the day, with or without cannabis, what matters is that everyone involved wants and enjoys the experience. Everyone is different in terms of how their body works and what they like. Pleasure is incredibly personal and subjective and there is no right or wrong way to do it, so find what works best and enjoy the journey.