Ever been befuddled by a sudden, inexorable craving for all the Cool Ranch Doritos on Earth?
And a side of Twizzlers -- both ends bitten off and employed as straws in a keg of Coca-Cola?
Was it not long after hauling on a joint?
Classic munchies syndrome.
But up until now, pot smokers have been left with little explanation as to how their herb of choice sends them to the depth of a culinary cataclysm. Or, at least, their attention to the subject was rather fleeting -- with the question being entirely forgotten after a good gorge and a side of Aqua Teen Hunger Force.
Well, that's what science is for.
A new study published in Nature Neuroscience this week finally takes the time to sort it out for the rest of us.
Experimenting on mice, a team of European neuroscientists led by Giovanni Marsicano of the University of Bordeaux, isolated the active ingredient in cannabis -- tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC.
They proceeded to unlock the secret of why it makes us want to gorge .
They found that THC fits like a key into the brain's olfactory bulb -- the sensory mastermind that controls how we perceive odours.
By amping up a mouse's ability to smell food, the study subject's demonstrated an increased appreciation for it. i.e. They gorged because they could smell and taste food more accurately.
'Likely produced by the marijuana plant as a self-defense against herbivores who might feel disorientated after eating the plant and avoid it in the future, THC fits into receptors that are part of the brain's natural endocannabinoid system, which helps to control emotions, memory, pain sensitivity and appetite. Our brains typically produce their own chemicals (called cannabinoids) that fit into these same receptors, so by mimicking their activity, THC can artificially alter the same factors in dramatic ways.'
Amplified senses, the study suggests, make for an amplified appetite.
(And a potentially amplified waistline.)
27 Reasons Why U.S. Shouldn't Lead War On Drugs
Because Most Americans Are Unenthusiastic About It(01 of27)
Open Image ModalBecause The U.S. Won't Control The Flow Of Guns Into Latin America(02 of27)
Open Image ModalBecause The United States Leads The Hemisphere In Drug Consumption(03 of27)
Open Image ModalBecause The U.S. Ignores Latin American Calls For A Rethinking Of Drug Policy(04 of27)
Open Image ModalBecause Of The Fast And Furious Scandal(05 of27)
Open Image ModalBecause American Politicians Refuse To Candidly Lead A Debate On Reforming Our Laws(06 of27)
Open Image ModalBecause The U.S. Tortures Detainees In Cuba(07 of27)
Open Image ModalBecause The U.S. Has The World's Largest Prison Population(08 of27)
Open Image ModalBecause The U.S. Jails Undocumented Immigrants Guilty Of Civil Violations(09 of27)
Open Image ModalBecause The Border Patrol Kills Kids Who Throw Rocks(10 of27)
Open Image ModalBecause The U.S. Recognized An Illegal Government In Venezuela(11 of27)
Open Image ModalBecause U.S. Extradition Undermines Justice In Colombia(12 of27)
Open Image ModalBecause The U.S. Helped Create Today's Cartels(13 of27)
Open Image ModalBecause The U.S. Backed An Argentine Military Dictatorship That Killed 30,000 People(14 of27)
Open Image ModalBecause The U.S. Helped Topple The Democratically Elected Government Of Salvador Allende(15 of27)
Open Image ModalBecause the U.S. Backed A Military Coup In Brazil In 1964(16 of27)
Open Image ModalBecause The U.S. Funded A Terrorist Group In Nicaragua(17 of27)
Open Image ModalBecause The U.S. Helped Finance Atrocities In Colombia(18 of27)
Open Image ModalBecause The U.S. Maintains A Trade Embargo Against Cuba Despite Opposition From The Entire World(19 of27)
Open Image ModalBecause The U.S. Engineered A Coup Against The Democratically Elected Government Of Guatemala In 1954(20 of27)
Open Image ModalAt the behest of United Fruit Company, a U.S. corporation with extensive holdings in Central America, the CIA helped engineer the overthrow of the Guatemalan government in 1954, ushering in decades of civil war that resulted in the loss of hundreds of thousands of lives. (credit:Getty Images / Politics, Guatemala/ Coups, pic: 28th June 1954, Colonel Carlos Castillo Armas, right, (1914-1957) pictured when the rebel leader was leader of the forces that were to overthrow the Gua)
Because The U.S. Backed The Salvadoran Military As It Committed Atrocities In The 1980s(21 of27)
Open Image ModalBecause The U.S. Invaded Haiti and Occupied It For Almost 20 Years(22 of27)
Open Image ModalBecause The U.S. Invaded Haiti Again In 1994(23 of27)
Open Image ModalBecause The U.S. Trained Military Leaders Who Committed Atrocities In Latin America(24 of27)
Open Image ModalBecause The U.S. Backed Dictator Rafael Trujillo(25 of27)
Open Image ModalRafael Trujillo Sr. (Photo by Hank Walker//Time Life Pictures/Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images)
Because The U.S. Invaded Cuba And Undermined The Island's Independence(26 of27)
Open Image ModalBecause The U.S. Colonized Puerto Rico(27 of27)
Open Image Modal