US teenage boys have shared a surprising reason to use marijuana which is to enjoy better sex. According to a new study conducted by the Washington State University, young boys are more compelled to use marijuana for more sexual pleasure as compared to young girls. It seems like these boys are falling for pro-marijuana ads and online endorsements, presenting cannabis as a sex booster.
This study is published in The Journal of Sex Research.
The use of cannabis or also called marijuana is associated with surprising sexual benefits which allow its user to have more pleasure. Although there is no research-based evidence to prove it the majority of online advertisements specifically highlight this benefit of using cannabis and cannabis-based products.
On the other side, this trend is not seemingly followed by women and young girls, and their usage of marijuana is mostly liked with calmness and recreational reasons.
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Jessica Fitts Willoughby from the Murrow College of Communication is the first author and lead researcher of this study. According to her, this message which these young people are perceiving highlights an important thing. In addition to how young people are getting this information from social media, it is also important to understand that the nature and type of this message are catchy for them. So not just the mode of transmission but the impact of the message is also notable.
Despite the fact, if marijuana and sex have any relation in between, this study highlights the power of online content which presents it as a positive herb and persuade teenagers to try it. to control this trend of using marijuana and cannabis-infused products, it is necessary to control what is coming in front of these young minds. Additionally, parents have to keep a watchful eye on what type of content their children are enjoying. The communication between them and the kids should be improved so that pro-cannabis messages should be properly searched and checked before believing them and urging them to use marijuana.
It is obvious that these social media messages and advertisements affect people and encourage them to use them. They are using sexual fantasies and expectations to lure people to try marijuana.
This research team conducted a survey of 15 to 17 years old 300 youngsters and divided them into two groups. Both groups were asked to list their choices and preferences on social media and their exposure and interest in cannabis-related content. They were also asked about their perception of the relation between sex and cannabis use. lastly, they were asked if they have a history of using marijuana or any product with cannabis. Not to forget, marijuana is legal for 21+ people in many US states, including Washington.
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Irrespective of gender, the research team came across the results that teenagers who are interested to know about marijuana online had intentions to try it in near future. It may be hard to control the information that circulates on social media but controlling individual factors such as parental control and awareness can help to overcome this potential marijuana usage.
Surprisingly, online exposure to marijuana didn’t have the same effects on boys and girls in terms of sex. But sex was reported to be one of the primary attractions to try these products.
