Reefer research: cannabis 'munchies' explained by new study

Scientists have shown the urge to eat after smoking is caused by cannabinoids hijacking brain cells that normally suppress appetite

Besides making a bongo drum sound inexplicably magical and enhancing a person's ability to talk nonsense for extended periods of time, generations of cannabis smokers will recognise the "munchies" as one of the drug's most reliable side-effects.

Now scientists have shown that the insatiable urge to eat after smoking is caused by cannabinoids hijacking brain cells that normally suppress appetite. The study suggests that cannabis causes the brain to produce a different set of chemicals that transform the feeling of fullness into a hunger that is never quite satisfied.

Related: Smoking skunk cannabis triples risk of serious psychotic episode, says research