Connecticut is on track to allow access to medical cannabis for the treatment of female orgasmic disorder (FOD) following a decision on Friday by the state Medical Marijuana Program Board of Physicians.<\/p>\n
Doctors on the state panel unanimously agreed that cannabis is more likely than not to have a beneficial effect on FOD, which they acknowledged as a debilitating condition. Orgasms in people with FOD are delayed, infrequent or entirely absent.<\/p>\n
The body also signed off on a separate proposal to add autism spectrum disorder as a qualifying condition for Connecticut\u2019s medical cannabis program.<\/p>\n
The push to add FOD as a condition for marijuana access stems from a petition submitted last year by Suzanne Mulvehill, a clinical sexologist who\u2019s working to expand access to cannabis for people with FOD.<\/p>\n
The executive director of the Female Orgasm Research Institute and the related Women\u2019s Cannabis Project, Mulvehill has published research indicating that cannabis use increased orgasm ease and frequency in more than 70 percent of patients with FOD<\/a>. Her study also found that marijuana improved sexual satisfaction in about two thirds (67 percent) of those with FOD.<\/p>\n Despite the promising results, Mulvehill told the panel, discussing women\u2019s sexual satisfaction still carries stigma.<\/p>\n \u201cWe rarely talk about this topic, but I think it\u2019s time,\u201d she said, \u201cbecause up to 41 percent of women suffer from it, and that statistic has not changed for more than 50 years.\u201d<\/p>\n Referencing drugs for erectile dysfunction, such as Viagra, Mulvehill argued that \u201cthere is a solution for men, you know, but there really isn\u2019t one for women.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThis can be that solution,\u201d she said of medical marijuana.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen a woman can actually overcome a problem that is stigmatized and shamed, and no longer carry that around as a burden,\u201d she added, \u201cthere\u2019s a there\u2019s a dimension of confidence.\u201d<\/p>\n After a few questions from members of the board, the body approved adding FOD to Connecticut\u2019s list of qualifying conditions.<\/p>\n One member asked about dosing, wondering whether effects were observed \u201conly at psychoactive doses\u201d or also when lower doses of marijuana were administered.<\/p>\n Mulvehill replied that women she\u2019s talked to \u201cknew exactly how much they needed to use.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSome women said, \u2018I take one hit.\u2019 Some women said, \u2018I use a quarter of a brownie,’\u201d she explained, noting that lower doses are typically recommended at first.<\/p>\n \u201cIf we were to approve this, then a doctor was going to say, \u2018Listen, yes, how do we start?’\u201d Mulvehill said. \u201cWe start with small doses, very small doses. And it\u2019d be recommended that they would start on their own.\u201d<\/p>\n Pressed on whether she was able to ascertain what dose was typical for patients in her study, Mulvehill replied: \u201cNot specifically, other than saying what the research across the board has said: low doses.\u201d<\/p>\n Another board member asked Mulvehill how patients with FOD would go about obtaining cannabis given that therapists aren\u2019t authorized to recommend marijuana in Connecticut.<\/p>\n \u201cTypically, a woman would go to a therapist first,\u201d Mulvehill replied, explaining that marijuana would be \u201can adjunct to therapy.\u201d They would then go to a doctor, ideally one with an understanding of therapeutic cannabis.<\/p>\n The board was clear that it was approving medical marijuana as a treatment for FOD specifically\u2014not, as one member put it, \u201csomeone who just wants to use marijuana, you know, for pleasure or for intimacy.\u201d<\/p>\n The vote<\/a> to accept FOD as a qualifying condition doesn\u2019t itself enact the change. The recommendation will be reviewed by the commissioner of the Department of Consumer Protection to make a final determination.<\/p>\n Mulvehill has been one of the leaders behind state-level efforts to\u00a0recognize female orgasmic disorder as a qualifying condition for medical marijuana<\/a>.<\/p>\n Connecticut was in the first group of states where she and others tried to add FOD as qualifying conditions. In March,\u00a0officials in Illinois voted in favor of the addition<\/a>, she told the panel on Friday.<\/p>\n Ohio officials, meanwhile, rejected the addition of FOD\u2014along with autism spectrum disorder\u2014at a meeting last month.<\/p>\n As for how marijuana might benefit people with FOD, a report in the journal Sexual Medicine by Mulvehill and Jordan Tishler\u2014a doctor at the Association of Cannabinoid Specialists and the company inhaleMD\u2014identified a few possible theories.<\/p>\n Among them is dishabitation theory, the idea that cannabis \u201clessens the routine of habits, such as cognitive distraction, a known FOD cause.\u201d<\/p>\n Neuroplasticity theory, meanwhile, \u201cproposes that some women learn to orgasm while using cannabis, as seen in comments in this study and anecdotally.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cCannabis and endocannabinoids, the cannabinoids created by the human body, are increasingly recognized for their roles in neural development processes, including brain cell growth and neuroplasticity,\u201d the study says.<\/p>\n The research found that cannabis use did not help all women orgasm. \u201cAmong survey respondents,\u201d it says, \u201c4% reported never having an orgasm, even though they used cannabis before partnered sex.\u201d<\/p>\n There\u2019s growing evidence that marijuana can improve sexual function, regardless of sex or gender. A study last year in the Journal of Cannabis Research found that more than 70 percent of surveyed adults said cannabis before sex increased desire and improved orgasms, while 62.5 percent said cannabis enhanced pleasure while masturbating.<\/p>\n Because past findings indicated women who have sex with men are typically less likely to orgasm than their partners, authors of that study\u00a0said cannabis \u201ccan potentially close the orgasm in equality gap.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n A 2020 study in the journal Sexual Medicine, meanwhile, found that\u00a0women who used cannabis more often had better sex<\/a>.<\/p>\n Numerous online surveys have also reported\u00a0positive associations between marijuana and sex<\/a>. One study even found a connection between the\u00a0passage of marijuana laws and increased sexual activity<\/a>.<\/p>\n Yet another study, however, cautions that more marijuana doesn\u2019t necessarily mean better sex. A literature review published in 2019 found that cannabis\u2019s impact on libido may depend on dosage, with\u00a0lower amounts of THC correlating with the highest levels of arousal<\/a>\u00a0and satisfaction. Most studies showed that marijuana has a positive effect on women\u2019s sexual function, the study found, but too much THC can actually backfire.<\/p>\n \u201cSeveral studies have evaluated the effects of marijuana on libido, and it seems that changes in desire may be dose dependent,\u201d the review\u2019s authors wrote. \u201cStudies support that lower doses improve desire but higher doses either lower desire or do not affect desire at all.\u201d<\/p>\n Part of what cannabis appears to do to improve orgasms is interact with and disrupt the brain\u2019s default mode network, Tishler, Mulvehill\u2019s co-author, told Marijuana Moment in an interview earlier this year.<\/p>\n \u201cFor many of these women, who cannot or do not have an orgasm, there\u2019s some complex interplay between the frontal lobe\u2014which is kind of the \u2018should have, would have, could have [part of the brain]\u2019\u2014and then the limbic system, which is the \u2019emotional, fear, bad memories, anger,\u2019 those sorts of things,\u201d he said. \u201cThat\u2019s all moderated through the default mode network.\u201d<\/p>\n Modulating the default mode network is also central to many psychedelic-assisted therapies. And some research has indicated that those substances, too, may improve sexual pleasure and function.<\/p>\n A paper earlier this year in the journal Nature Scientific Reports, which purported to be the first scientific study to formally explore the effects of psychedelics on sexual functioning, found that drugs such as psilocybin mushrooms and LSD\u00a0could have beneficial effects on sexual functioning even months after use<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cOn the surface, this type of research may seem \u2018quirky,\u2019\u201d one of the authors of that study said, \u201cbut the psychological aspects of sexual function\u2014including how we think about our own bodies, our attraction to our partners, and our ability to connect to people intimately\u2014are all important to psychological wellbeing in sexually active adults.\u201d<\/p>\n Most Consumers Use Marijuana To Treat Health Issues, But Very Few Call It \u2018Medical,\u2019 AMA Study Finds<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n Photo courtesy of Mike Latimer. <\/em><\/p>\n The post Connecticut Officials Vote To Add Female Orgasmic Disorder And Autism As Medical Marijuana Qualifying Conditions<\/a> appeared first on Marijuana Moment<\/a>.<\/p>\n
Connecticut is on track to allow access to medical cannabis for the treatment of female orgasmic disorder (FOD) following a decision on Friday by the state Medical Marijuana Program Board of Physicians. Doctors on the state panel unanimously agreed that cannabis is more likely than not to have a beneficialContinue Reading<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"false","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[18,81],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76084"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=76084"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76084\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":76085,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76084\/revisions\/76085"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=76084"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=76084"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=76084"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}\n
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\nRead More: Connecticut Officials Vote To Add Female Orgasmic Disorder And Autism As Medical Marijuana Qualifying Conditions<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"