The munchies aren’t just in your head. They’re part of the chemical reaction cannabis has on your body’s entire endocannabinoid system (ECS).
Cannabis use dates to 2,700 B.C. in China, where it was valued for relieving pain, gastrointestinal disorders, insomnia, blood clots, and parasites. Despite this, Western scientists didn’t discover the existence of the ECS until the late 1980s. In the 35 years since, scientists, pharmaceutical companies, and the cannabis industry have become heavily invested in researching the ECS to understand it better, make drugs that tap into it effectively, and use the connection to market cannabis products, respectively. While research has just begun to scratch the surface of the ECS, scientists have made enough progress to believe that it regulates learning and memory, emotional processing, sleep, temperature control, pain control, inflammatory and immune responses, and eating.
Which brings me back to the munchies.
Scientists can now explain why, after ingesting cannabis, a body wants to shamelessly cozy up to a party bag of ranch Doritos. The ECS signals cells to act a certain way to keep the body in a balanced, steady state called homeostasis. Two naturally occurring, hunger-controlling chemicals in the human body are anandamide (an endocannabinoid that gives a body a pleasurable response to food intake) and ghrelin (a gut hormone that increases appetite). Tetrahydrocannabinol (aka THC, the main psychoactive compound in cannabis) behaves like anandamide by binding to receptors in the hypothalamus, tongue, and gut that help regulate your appetite. The interaction between THC and the ECS can throw your body out of homeostasis, tricking you into thinking that you’re hungry, triggering your body to produce ghrelin, and hinting to your taste buds that almost any food you put into your mouth is going to taste amazing—but especially those with sugary (think chocolate cake with chocolate frosting) and fatty (think anything fried) taste profiles. Internet surveys, one of which polled over 1,000 regular cannabis users from every state but North Dakota, say the most common fast-food chain visited to satisfy the munchies is Taco Bell.
We certainly can’t condone readers ingesting cannabis and then driving to their nearest Taco Bell on both legal and philosophical grounds. But we can suggest how to build a locally sourced munchies platter that will keep you and your friends safely sitting around the fire at home enjoying the elevated flavors. For the sweet side of the munchies equation, we recommend any of the chocolates listed in our edible MAINE chocolate buyer’s guide. If you lean toward munching on chips, try both Fox Family potato chips (made in Mapleton) and Vintage Maine Kitchen potato chips (made in Freeport). If you prefer cheese, take any of the 2021 Maine Cheese Award winners—like Winter Hill Farm’s bloomy-rind Tide Line, Fuzzy Udder Creamery’s washed-rind Cyclone, Balfour Farm’s aged Torrin Tomme, or Spring Day Creamery’s blue called Fraffie—and pair them with local crackers from Maine Crisp Company or Mill Cove Baking Co.
