If I am about to eat some fantastic food, I almost always consume marijuana first. It’s something I have always done, and so do most of my friends and family. I have always felt that I find the food more enjoyable when I consume marijuana first. It’s no secret that marijuana can induce ‘the munchies’ but there is now scientific research that explains why. Per Vice:
Led by Giovanni Marsicano of the University of Bordeaux, a team of European neuroscientists proved that THC—the primary psychoactive ingredient in marijuana—fits into special receptors in the brain’s olfactory bulb, allowing users to smell and taste food far more acutely while high. Since these scientists study neurological diseases, rather than write a column on the intersection of cannabis and cuisine, their report tends to focus on practical medical applications of this exciting new discovery, rather than its role in giving rise to what the New York Times has dubbed haute stoner cuisine.
“Many feeding disorders [like anorexia] are accompanied by altered perception in general,” Marsicano noted. “Smell is particularly linked to food intake and is particularly altered in different diseases…so smell and its regulation by the endocannabinoid system could represent a future target for therapies against these and other diseases.”
Marijuana never ceases to amaze me. If you know someone that wants to enjoy food more, recommend marijuana to them. Also, if you know someone that suffers from an eating disorder, or needs to eat more to help a health condition, also recommend marijuana.
