Hide the Funyuns, the munchies are real: study

Although recent research suggests cannabis users are less likely to be obese and have a slightly lower body weight, a new study from the Department of Community Health and Health Behavior at The University at Buffalo (The State University of New York) indicates the phenomenon known as the “munchies” is very real.

Researchers at an event for cannabis decriminalization asked attendees who had recently consumed cannabis to fill out a survey that asked partakers to name their snacks of choice while high, how much they eat and if that quantity is more or less than usual.

Post survey, participants could choose a snack–either a bag of chips or an orange. Seven percent of those surveyed opted not to choose a snack, and 32 percent picked the orange; but overwhelmingly, participants–63 percent–chose the chips.

“Given the dramatic increase in the accessibility of cannabis, there will be many more people experiencing the munchies,” Jessica Kruger, lead author on the study, says in a press release. Kruger has also notably studied the drunk munchies, or “drunchies.”

“Public health has the responsibility of protecting the public, maximizing benefits and minimizing harm in any area,” notes Kruger, a clinical assistant professor of community health and health behaviour at U Buffalo’s School of Public Health and Health Professions.

Kruger says more information is necessary to understand the further implications of the study, which was published Apr. 17 in the journal of the International Society for Human Ethology.

“We need more research and education on people who choose to use cannabis, moving public health from an abstinence-promotion model to a harm-reduction model. This would include managing the dietary impact of cannabis use,” she says.

“People may also respond differently when they are actually high on cannabis, so we need to find methods that work to promote healthy and safe behaviours under these conditions.”

 

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