When I tell people that I write about sex and cannabis, I get one of two replies: “I’ve never tried that,” or “OMG I have such intensely awesome sex when I’m high!” I fall into the latter camp. How can you utilize cannabis to make your sex life even more fantastic? Here are a few suggestions from your favorite sex educator:

• Pleasure Map: Cannabis affects bodies differently depending on tolerance, strain, method of consumption, etc. Once you’re feeling the effects, take time to explore your partner’s entire body. Cannabis can bring nerve endings online in a powerful way, and you won’t know which ones and how they like to be stimulated unless you experiment! This blends nicely into the next idea...

• Show and Tell: Cannabis is known for its inhibition-reduction effects. If you’ve never masturbated in front of a partner, here’s your chance! Showing your partner how you like to be touched can be a powerful tool for hotter sex. Don’t just demonstrate, explain what it feels like to stimulate these areas--it’s a good precursor to dirty talk and it will help you and your partner get comfortable communicating your pleasure preferences.

• Use cannabis products specifically designed for your bits: There are not enough words to adequately express to you how much using Foria, the THC-infused coconut oil spray*, has improved my sex life (and let’s be honest--it was pretty fantastic already). THC is a vasodilator (that’s why your eyes get red when you smoke) and dilated capillaries in your bits means more blood flow and more oxygen to the area, which increases sensation. But hey, don’t take my word for it. I spoke with Connie, 60, a registered nurse who recently tried Foria for the first time with her boyfriend. “The sensation was much more intense and everything was hyper stimulated. When my partner performed oral on me, I noticed that everything he did felt good--there was no shuffling to find the exact right spot because everything felt like the right spot. Then we had intercourse and it was…*giggle*...it was just awesome. It was delightful. The orgasms were much more intense and felt like they lasted for so much longer than they do typically - between 45 to 90 seconds, with higher peaks than without cannabis.” Foria is currently developing a product line intended for anal insertion, which I suspect will feel especially good for people with prostates. Currently available in California for MMJ patients and in Colorado for both patients and recreational users, Foria is something that should be on everyone’s nightstand.

• Schedule sexy time! Since the psychoactive effects of cannabis can last anywhere from twenty minutes to several hours (and longer if you’re using edibles!), schedule a 2-3 hour block where you and your lover have time to consume and play to your hearts’ content. And if you’re skeptical about scheduling sex, check out this article by sex educator and writer Sarah Nitchkey, “In Defense of Scheduling Sex.”

Your only limit is your imagination. I spoke with adult performer and sex educator Kelsey Obsession, Ph.D, who shared, “I started smoking cannabis after hanging out with my (now) husband. I was pretty new but he's a total stoner.  One of the first times we hung out, he took a hit out of a bong and blew the smoke in my mouth, and it was super hot!  Now I think it's really sexy to watch him smoke and I have some pictures of him smoking a joint on my phone that I have definitely looked at while masturbating.” Fetishizing cannabis use? Why not? The great part about being an adult is that when it comes to sex and relationships, you make your own rules. Whether that means vaping together before sexy time, sending each other weed porn, or sexting about the great strain you just picked up at your local dispensary, you can co-create an entirely new sexual experience that’s sure to blow your mind.

What are some ways you’ve used cannabis to make your sex life better?

*Because Foria’s is oil-based, it is not compatible with latex condoms or barriers. Make sure you use non-latex barriers made of either nitrile or polyurethane.

This article was originally published on Leafly.com in November 2015. Read the original post here.