WHY IT MATTERS: Patients using cannabis for appetite stimulation, including those managing cachexia or chemotherapy-related anorexia, now have stronger neurological evidence supporting what clinicians have observed for years, which may help guide more targeted and confident therapeutic use. CLINICAL OVERVIEW: The appetite-stimulating effects of cannabis, commonly known as “the munchies,” have long been observed clinically but the precise neurological mechanisms were not well characterized until recently. Research has now identified how cannabinoids interact with specific brain circuits to drive increased appetite, independent of the type or palatability of food available.
The Munchies’ Are Real and Could Benefit Those with No Appetite
This Pullman-based study using real cannabis—not synthetic THC—provides the most realistic evidence yet that cannabis appetite effects can be translated into treatments for seriously ill patients. WSU’s official press release on the PNAS munchies study. Prof.