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Salon
Salon
Science
Troy Farah

FOUND: Why does weed keep some people skinny - What They Never Told You

Smoking weed to lose weight? The idea may sound a little half-baked, but many people are convinced cannabis can help with shedding pounds or maintaining a healthy weight. Some even swear it helps with diabetes. It's a little counterintuitive given that marijuana, which is any extract from the Cannabis sativa plant, is typically associated with laziness and the munchies, which triggers a craving for junk food.
"Chronic cannabis users tend to be less overweight than non-cannabis users."

Although it's hard to make the case that cannabis makes anyone more slothful — that's simply an old drug war myth — there is plenty of evidence that marijuana stimulates appetite. Some patients may need to gorge themselves, such as people with HIV or cancer who sometimes have trouble eating. Getting the munchies can be a good thing in this case, explains Dr. Peter Grinspoon, a primary care physician at Harvard Medical School who specializes in medical marijuana. Some research indicates that cannabis users also tend to have lower body mass index (BMI), even if this is an imperfect metric for weight and bodily health.

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