The “munchies”, or the desire to eat after marijuana use, is not a mental phenomenon. According to a recent study, it’s not just a mental phenomenon. It could have real world implications for those who suffer from appetite-related conditions.
Washington State University and University of Calgary researchers investigated the well-known marijuana experience. This is often comically depicted in the media as an appetite-inducing effect, which occurs when Doritos or other unhealthy snack foods are consumed.
Researchers in the recent study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences PNAS said that the cannabis-induced appetite stimulation could be a meaningful help to people suffering from serious medical conditions.
82 participants aged between 21 and 62 took part in the human clinical study. Randomly, participants vaped either 40 or 20 milligrams, or a controlled placebo, to assess the impact of the cannabis on appetite. This study involved similar tests using a rat-model.
Cannabis increases food intake and motivation to eat, regardless of the food, gender, satiety or food aversion.
In a WSU press release, Carrie Cuttler said that there are many diseases and conditions associated with wasting and lack of appetite. This study supports the notion that cannabis could be used to treat conditions such as HIV or AIDS and for people on chemotherapy.
Interestingly, it was found in the study that people did not gravitate towards one particular type of food over another. Others chose protein-rich foods and others ate carbohydrate heavy foods. However, there were some unexpected but common themes.
It was a popular snack. It’s hard to understand why intoxicated individuals gravitate toward beef jerky. Honestly, I would have thought chocolate, chips, Rice Krispies treats—things like that,” Cuttler said, adding that water was among the most desired items.
Ryan McLaughlin is a professor of veterinary medicine at WSU. He said, “The human study showed that cannabis users ate more than those who did not, regardless of their body mass index or the time since they last ate food.”
In the rat trial, cannabis triggered an increased appetite in animals. They pulled levers at a higher rate than the control group to get food.
“The sober animals are kind of like, ‘I’m full. What do I care about? The people don’t even try. Matthew Hill, from The University of Calgary said that they barely put in any effort to gain access to food. But you can get them high again and, even though now they have eaten and are satisfied, they still act as if there is a hunger.
The same things we observed in humans, we also saw in rats. It didn’t make the rats want carbohydrate-rich food, as we thought. He said that it seemed like any kind of food.
The results confirm earlier findings in research into the system. McLaughlin stated that THC “hijacks” the entire system by stimulating the hypothalamus. Even though you may not be hungry, THC stimulates cannabinoid-receptors in your brain that make you hungry.
“That’s what really gives us the opportunity to look at whether this is something brain-mediated or gut-mediated, and this generally shows ‘the munchies’ are mediated by the brain,” he said.
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It is important to note that this study does not represent the first one looking at marijuana’s relationship with appetite.
WSU researchers, for example, published in 2024 a study funded by federal funds that determined exactly what happened in the mind after marijuana use that caused the munchies. Published in Scientific Reports the research revealed that cannabis stimulates the appetite by activating a cluster of neuronal cells in the hypothalamus area of the brain.
Separately, a 2019 study found that the sales of products such as ice cream and cookies or chips are likely to increase after cannabis is legalized in some states.
Despite that, a 2022 study determined that adult-use legalization is actually associated with decreased levels of obesity despite the fact that cannabis is well-known appetite stimulator.
A meta-analysis found in 2024 that marijuana users are half as likely to get type 2 diabetes.
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