Study: Sexually Suggestive Cannabis Ads May Influence Young Adults’ Decision to Use Cannabis Before Sex

A new study from researchers at Washington State University (WSU) suggests that cannabis marketing that includes messages about better sex may influence young adults’ plans to consume cannabis before sexual activity. 

The study, published in the journal Communication Research found that college students who interpreted ads as suggesting cannabis use resulted in better sex – whether the ads featured sexual themes or not – were more likely to expect those benefits and to say they might use cannabis before sex.   

In a statement, Jessica Fitts Willoughby, a professor in WSU’s Edward R. Murrow College of Communication and the study’s lead author, said that researchers “know from alcohol advertising that sexualized appeals can make a difference in how people understand the information presented.” 

“Cannabis is a little different because there really aren’t rules saying you can’t tie it to sex.” — Willoughby in a press release 

The research included 747 Washington college students who were shown specific ads that had appeared on Instagram, which allowed researchers to examine how different people interpreted the same messages and whether those interpretations were connected to their expectations and intentions. Simply viewing a sexual or romantic ad – one that maybe featured people using cannabis in bed, or other romantic or intimate imagery – did not consistently predict viewers’ answers. What mattered more was how they interpreted it. Those who believed an ad was promising better sex were more likely to expect cannabis to improve their own sexual experiences or reduce nervousness and they were more likely to say they might use cannabis before sex. 

“It wasn’t as simple as seeing a message and automatically being influenced by it,” Willoughby said in a statement. “The stronger connection appeared when someone interpreted the ad as saying cannabis makes sex better and then they thought it might do the same for them.” 

The study also found differences between men and women. Men who wanted to be like the men shown in sexual or romantic ads – typically physically fit, attractive, and masculine – were more likely to say they intended to use cannabis before sex. Women who thought the ads raised concerns about sexual consent were less likely to say they would use cannabis before sex. 

Stacey J.T. Hust, a professor in the Murrow College and co-author of the study, added that the “findings suggest that those messages could make people, particularly women, less likely to intend to use cannabis before sex.”  

“Our findings show that when people interpret these ads as promising positive sexual experiences, that can shape what they expect from cannabis and whether they intend to use it,” Hust said in a statement. 

The study, “Sex, Romance, or Recreation? An Experiment Testing the Effects of Cannabis Brand-generated Social Media Ads on College Students’ Expectancies and Intentions to Use Cannabis Prior to Sex,” was published online on August 31.