Appetite and Cannabis: Why Weed Makes Us Hungry

Hey folks! It’s time again for a jaunt down the merry lane of cannabis knowledge with your one and only locally owned cannabis retailer. Hopefully everyone is enjoying their summer so far and that the heat is not draining your vitality as readily as it seems to be draining mine.

                This week we’re going to be addressing something that everyone knows about weed but that few people understand: Why is it every time we smoke weed we have the urge to eat enough Cheetos to choke a blue whale? Well, strap in friends cause we’re going to dive into the science behind the munchies.

The Chemistry of Appetite

            Before we get too deeply entrenched into how cannabis stimulates our desire to eat an entire extra large, six topping pizza while our friends and families watch on with a look in their eyes halfway between horror and awe, we need to discuss how our appetites function in the first place.

                Our appetite response comes courtesy of our brains, specifically the hypothalamus; which is connects our nervous system to what’s called our endocrine system. Our nervous system is responsible for sending signals to and from different organs in order to allow coordination between our disparate parts. Meanwhile, the endocrine system is a vitally important part in many of our systems, acting as a communication system that operates using the power of hormones.

                Anyway, these two systems help to trigger a response fueled by dopamine and serotonin which lets us know when we’re hungry and also when we’re satisfied. So how does weed come into play?

The Munchies Effect

                Cannabis interacts with our hypothalamus through it’s cannabinoids, in particularly THC, which bonds to a receptor in our nervous system called the CB1 receptor and then triggers that dopamine/serotonin response I mentioned above in order to stimulate our appetites while also suppressing the response that tells us we’re full. Effectively tricking our brains into thinking we’re still hungry even if we’re not.

                This chain of responses and the ravenous end result is one of the many potentially medicinal benefits of cannabis consumption, as many long-term illnesses bring with them the burden of a lack of appetite. Being able to maintain a healthy and steady influx of food-based nutrients can be the difference between life and death, so this is no small thing.

Just another reason to be grateful we live in a country cool enough to legalize this wonderful plant. Although that gratitude does not extend to my grocery bill. Till next time folks!

                Did all of this talk of the munchies give you…well, the munchies? Check out our edible menu so you can snack while you get high… then snack again!