Why Does Cannabis Give You’re the Munchies?

We’ve all been there, right? You spark up a joint or do a couple of bong hits with a friend. And the next thing you know…

You’re halfway through an extra-large Meat Lovers Pizza, you’ve emptied a bag of Doritos, and that batch of brownies in the care package your mom sent are all history. And yet, you’re STILL hungry!

Of course, this is known as – The munchies. It’s that post-pot smoking moment when your appetite becomes a bottomless pit you couldn’t possibly fill with a grocery store full of food.

So, what’s the source of this runaway desire to cram a fridge full of food into your mouth? We had the same question here at Cannawayz.com and decided to investigate.

Why Do You Feel Hungry in the First Place?

Generally speaking, the “hunger process” goes something like this… Your blood sugar level dips, which causes a spike in certain hormone levels. At the same time, your body becomes aware your stomach and intestines are empty. All of which sends signals to the hypothalamus portion of your brain saying: “hey, you’re hungry!”

And How Do You Know When You’re Full?

Feeling full is basically the same process, just in reverse. Your blood sugar rises. The hunger hormones recede. Your stomach and intestines feel full. And your hypothalamus registers all of this, issuing the message: “alright, that’s enough.”

How Does Cannabis Throw a Monkey Wrench Into This Process?

One of your hunger hormones is called ghrelin. And it turns out that cannabis sends ghrelin production into overdrive. In addition, cannabis seems, at least from a user’s perspective, to enhance your sense of taste and smell.

These two factors in combination turn your appetite into a ravenous, gaping maw that unfortunately ignores all bodily signals telling you: “hey dude, you’re all full up.”

The Good, Bad, and Ugly of Cannabis’s Appetite Stimulation

Cannabis’s appetite-boosting powers are a boon to chemotherapy patients, many of whom lose their appetites during treatment and shed an unhealthy amount of weight. Cannabis has also proven beneficial to those suffering from other ailments that cause loss of appetite.

Appetite stimulation, especially for cancer patients, is one of the main reasons California originally approved medical cannabis. A political and regulatory shift proved to be a watershed moment in the march toward cannabis legalization.

On the downside, if you’re aiming to lose weight, get in better shape, and generally improve your physical health, cannabis can be a real hindrance. Short of diligently following a strict “munchies avoidance” strategy, it can be very tough to ignore cannabis-induced hunger pangs.

Another sometimes problem is gluttonous over-eating. Many cannabis users report incidences in which, after getting high, they ate to the point of physical distress. The body’s sometimes complete denial of feeling full, combined with the intoxicating effects of cannabis, can prompt some users to eat to extreme excess. And this can cause vomiting, extreme lethargy, and even induce a sort of “food hangover.”