Exploring the munchies: An online survey of users’ experiences of cannabis effects on appetite and the development of a Cannabinoid Eating Experience Questionnaire
Journal of Psychopharmacology July 26, 2019 C. Roberts, G. Jager, P. Christiansen et al.
Cannabis intoxication, commonly known as giving users 'the munchies,' increases appetite and enhances the enjoyment of food by activating the endocannabinoid system. An online survey of frequent cannabis users developed and validated the Cannabinoid Eating Experience Questionnaire (CEEQ) to measure psychological changes underlying these effects. Analysis of responses from 591 English-speaking and 163 Dutch-speaking participants identified two key factors: hedonic enjoyment (altered sensory aspects of eating) and appetitive motivation (factors that instigate eating). Both subscales showed high internal reliability and good test-retest reliability over two weeks. The findings confirm that cannabis primarily affects motivational factors that initiate eating and hedonic factors that sustain it.