What Will Medical Marijuana Do to My Weight?

What does the overweight person do when prescribed medical marijuana?

Since it’s an established belief that pot makes people hungry for what many consider to be the worst kinds of foods, how can obese patients manage their pot bellies while using pot to manage a medical condition?

I’m going to start with the established belief about weed and munchies and inevitable weight gain as the result. The belief is that smoking dope turns a person into a raving maniacal feeder eating massive amounts of foods processed with lots of added sugar, salt and fat. Notice I used the word belief, not fact, because you can’t prove it’s a fact by me.

When I think of some of the most enthusiastic users of pot, I think of really skinny people. Snoop and Wiz Khalifa.

Big Snoop Dogg! Skinny Pot  Smoker!

Big Snoop Dogg! Skinny Pot Smoker!

These guys admit to smoking a lot of marijuana and they certainly would have no trouble getting mountains of food to assuage any out-of-control munchies they may experience and yet they’re not just thin, they’re skinny. Redman and Method Man also are outspoken aficionados of marijuana. They’re not skinny, and they don’t look like they have an ounce of fat on them; they both look incredibly fit.

From the 2001 Universal film How High starring Method Man and Redman

From the 2001 Universal film How High starring Method Man and Redman

There are many pot smokers I know who aren’t famous and most of them are not overweight. If smoking pot really leads to overeating then it must be doing something else at the same time that helps pot smokers avoid weight gain.

In 2011Time magazine reported on a recent study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology The study discovered a connection between marijuana use and body weight. It showed that rates of obesity are lower by about one third in people who smoke marijuana at least three times a week, compared with those who don’t use marijuana at all.

The association between pot smoking and lower risk of obesity remained strong even after adjusting for other factors that could influence body fat and health, such as cigarette smoking, age and gender. There was no evidence that marijuana smoking actually causes weight loss, but it didn’t seem to cause weight gain as one might fear.

You might be a patient who would benefit from medical marijuana. It looks like fear or weight gain is not a reason to refuse a prescription.

You might be a patient who would benefit from medical marijuana. It looks like fear or weight gain is not a reason to refuse a prescription.

The question, “what will medical marijuana do to my weight?” is going to have to be answered on an individual basis. It may do nothing, it may help to stabilize weight, or possibly some will lose weight.

 

 

 

 

Jackie Conn

About Jackie Conn

Jackie Conn is married and has four grown daughters and four grandchildren. She is a Weight Watchers success story. She's a weight loss expert with 25 years of experience guiding women and men to their weight-related goals. Her articles on weight management have been published in health, family and women's magazines. She has been a regular guest on Channel 5 WABI news, FOX network morning program Good Day Maine and 207 on WCSH.