Cocaine makes people do risky shit, and science has long tracked the increased risk of cocaine users contracting STIs. But the reason was never scientifically clear. A new, government-funded (!) study from Johns Hopkins, however, found that cocaine use not only increases sexual desire, but it makes that sex more dangerous. In fact, the more cocaine in someone's system, the higher their sex drive, and the less likely they were to practice safe sex, according to Science Daily.
Twelve regular cocaine users injected the drug orally—snorting or smoking could produce different results—and were tested with hypothetical sexual situations. The researchers found that when under the influence of coke, the participants were more impatient to have sex and less likely to postpone sex to find a condom. And when the chances of contracting an STI were one in 2,000, a participant on a high dose of cocaine was only 40 percent likely to use a condom, while participants on a placebo were 70 percent likely to use a condom.
The researchers thus determined that "sexual impatience" made safe sex less likely with cocaine in the equation, thus increasing the risk of contracting an STI. The only instance in which cocaine users and non-cocaine users had a similar chance of using a condom was when it was immediately available. Like, right there, no wait required. And interestingly, the participants were not riskier when making decisions about money when on cocaine. Just sex.
[h/t: Playboy
