How is THC related to hunger?
The short answer is we don’t really know, but we have some intriguing clues. Deep in the brain there is a system of neurons, called the limbic system, which connects many brain structures. One of the important functions of this system is reward. For instance, it connects with the hypothalamus, which contains centers regulating thirst, hunger, and sexual arousal. It also connects to an area called nucleus accumbens, which is involved in reward and pleasure. Hence, the feeling of pleasure when thirst or hunger or sexual arousal are satisfied. But we also get a sense of pleasure from less wholesome sources, like THC, or LSD, or mescaline, or psilocybin (magic mushroom), or opium, to name a few. And indeed, these drugs work via neurons in the nucleus accumbens. In fact, addiction is also located in this nucleus. You can readily see, then, how the sense of pleasure from smoking dope and the satisfaction of a comfort food meal are interrelated both anatomically and functionally. A quick evol
