The anecdotes and folklore that filter out from the hazy world of cannabis users attest to the drug's stimulating effect on the appetite as well as on the brain. Now scientists have confirmed that the munchies has a physiological basis, establishing the first firm link between cannabinoids (chemicals that occur in cannabis and also naturally in the body) and the normal regulation of body weight.
An international team of researchers from Italy, the United States and Japan show in today's issue of Nature that mice unable to process cannabinoids eat less than normal mice.
Physicians and dope smokers alike are aware of the drug's effect on appetite. Doctors use the major psychoactive component of cannabis, a cannabinoid called tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), to stimulate the appetites of seriously ill patients. What the new research has done is establish a link between cannabinoids and a hormone that regulates energy sources in the body.