Marijuana Associated With Both Increased Appetite And Weight Loss

Marijuana has been known for quite some time as a substance that increases appetite. Yet, studies have shown that regular users of marijuana are more likely to be thin, with a reduced abdominal circumference and lowered risk of diabetes. So how does one explain this dual nature of marijuana vis a vis weight?

According to Murray Mittleman, the lead author of the present study, the main reason behind this two faced relationship of marijuana with body weight is that marijuana users are able to metabolize carbohydrates in a better fashion. The cannabinoid receptors present in brain are involved in appetite and affect body’s metabolism. Researchers opine that cannabidiol, a compound present in marijuana has an affect on these cannabinoid receptors. It stimulates these receptors, leading to increased appetite and overeating. However, with regular use of marijuana, these receptors become less sensitive. As they become inactive, they stop responding to cannnabinoids and do not increase appetite or overeating. Therefore, the risk of obesity and diabetes is lowered in people who are active users of marijuana. 

However, researchers have not been able to explain the role that marijuana plays in the relationship between the reduced appetite and the insulin response to it. Further research is required to explain the biological processes that are responsible for the effect of marijuana in better control of blood sugar and reduced insulin resistance in diabetic patients.

Marijuana is illegal in most of the countries around the world

Marijuana has been consumed by humans since time immemorial. The earliest records available with us show that it was in use even in 3^rd millennium BC. Marijuana was primarily cultivated in Central and South Asia where it was used for its medicinal properties. However, it later gained popularity as a recreational drug and people started abusing it for a ‘high.’ Its medicinal properties were almost forgotten.

Marijuana contains a number of psychoactive compounds, of which the major compound is tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). These psychoactive compounds act directly on receptors present in the brain to give a feeling of high. Although its consumption is considered as illegal in most of the countries around the world, its use as a recreational drug is rampant. According to the United Nations, marijuana is the most commonly used illegal drug worldwide. It has been estimated that it is consumed on a daily basis by as many as 22.5 million adults throughout the world.

In the United Kingdom, marijuana is categorized as a Class B drug under the UK Misuse of Drugs Act. This category of drugs includes those which are least likely to cause harm. People found in possession of marijuana are given a lenient sentence.

But laws vary in different countries. In the United States, marijuana has been approved for medicinal use in 19 states. The clamor for legalizing marijuana has been steadily increasing. With the results of the latest study in their hand, the pro-marijuana activists will try their best to get the drug legalized in other states too. Even researchers seem optimistic about the medicinal value of marijuana. Joseph Albert, the editor-in-chief of the American Journal of Medicine has called upon the NIH and DEA to develop policies which would encourage studies to find further information about the medicinal properties of marijuana. He has stressed the need of studies to find the short and long term effect of marijuana in conditions like cancer and diabetes and in elderly people.