A new study published in the journal Cannabis has found that under certain circumstances, the use of marijuana can lead to positive experiences for couples.
The study had 183 married or cohabiting couples who consumed marijuana regularly. The study’s authors asked these couples to track their use for 30 days.
The participants filed a report via their smartphone every time they used marijuana and when they finished.
“Simultaneous marijuana use (male and female partners reported use at the same hour) increased the likelihood of an intimate experience for both men and women,” said the study.
Each morning the participants also said if they had “an interaction or meaningful conversation with [their] partner that involved intimacy, love, caring, or support” the day before, and if so, at what time did it occur.
The study’s authors found that shared cannabis experiences increased the likelihood of intimacy within two hours of use.
“Results of this analysis…show positive Actor and Partner effects associated with using marijuana in the presence of the partner for both men and women,” wrote the authors. “For example, Laura is more likely to report an intimacy event within 2 hours of using marijuana in Mike’s presence (an Actor effect) than when she doesn’t use marijuana. Laura is also more likely to report an intimacy event within 2 hours of Mike reporting marijuana use in Laura’s presence (a Partner effect).”
“However, marijuana use when the partner was not present neither increased nor decreased the likelihood of experiencing intimacy relative to no marijuana use,” the study said.