Of all the possible iterations of combining sex and cannabis, one of the most arousing is cannabis and porn. There have been informal studies and analytics done on the percentage of porn consumers who are interested in so-called “weed porn” or smoking fetish porn. What's often missing from the analysis or infographics, however, is input from the performers themselves.
Few know as much about the adult industry as the performers who work in it. I reached out to friends in the business and asked them about their experiences with cannabis and performing: if it impacts their performance, what the typical rules and expectations are surrounding cannabis use on set, and how their fans respond to their cannabis use.
Talia Satania is a webcam model who shoots and produces her own adult content. She told me, “I prefer to smoke while I work, so it's been a while since I've been sober while on cam. I feel much more relaxed when I smoke while camming, and sometimes it keeps me from talking too much. My cam room regulars and those who know me enjoy and don't mind me smoking while I work, but I do think it draws some new viewers away due to personal tastes. A lot of my fans smoke so they will join in with me while I'm smoking, so it becomes a little internet smoke circle.”
Talia Satania (image via her Twitter account, @taliasatania)
Satania did note that some cam sites have strict rules about consumption while on camera, but most don’t have enough staff to monitor all the cam models so the rules are often only enforced when a complaint is made.
“Most cam sites either advise against or prohibit the use of “illegal activity” — they don't allow it because even if it’s legal in the state (like California), it’s still federally illegal,” remarked Ela Darling, the face of virtual reality porn and the co-founder of VRTube.xxx. “I’ll medicate if I have cramps or I’m anxious or any of the many things that cannabis can benefit. I’ve probably used cannabis maybe 10-20% of the time during shoots — always with enough buffer before I’m actually on camera so I can have time to get back to baseline.”
While many fans envision porn sets as something out of Boogie Nights, with mountains of cocaine and other recreational drugs freely flowing, the reality is far from that. “Industry self regulation expects that you don’t do work in an altered state. Drug use is frowned upon or discouraged, unless you have a prescription,” Darling explained.
“With cannabis, it is a medication that people [in California] are prescribed, though it’s often not given the credence it should be lent. I believe it is just as much medicine as antibiotics, but sometimes it's regarded with skepticism by those who don’t see the medical value. I’ve only been on a handful of sets in the past that have really frowned on cannabis. Most people are fine with it as long as it doesn’t impact performance.”
Ela Darling (image via her Twitter account, @eladarling)
Consent is of paramount importance on an adult film set, and most companies require performers to be completely free of substances (other than prescribed medication) when signing the mandatory legal documents before shooting. I chatted with a colleague who has directed and produced adult video content about his experience with cannabis on set. He wished to remain anonymous, but replied, “We had to do a brief "legal interview" on camera before every shoot wherein all performers would have to attest that they were NOT under the influence of any substance prior to shooting. So I'm guessing on-camera usage would have been an immediate no-go in terms of selling the video to a distributor.”
Presently, you’re more likely to see cannabis consumption in a cam show than on the cover of a DVD in your local adult retailer. That may change in the future if federal restrictions on cannabis are relaxed. “I think the porn industry could be a more cannabis-positive place. Once the federal government changes its position on cannabis, we'll be seeing a lot more cannabis friendly porn,” concluded Talia Satania. For the many performers who use cannabis for its therapeutic benefits, this shift would be a welcome one.
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Ashley is a writer, feminist, and sexuality educator. She is a contributing writer for Leafly.
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