Title: 7 Short-Term Effects of Marijuana on the Brain | Psychology Today
Headings: 7 Short-Term Effects of Marijuana on the Brain
Joshua Gowin Ph.D.
7 Short-Term Effects of Marijuana on the Brain
Part 2 Exploring how marijuana alters brain function and its short-term effects.

Content: That’s partly why marijuana, like alcohol, compromises driving ability. A recent study from an emergency room in Canada found that 20 percent of drivers injured in car accidents had THC in their blood, even though, according to UN estimates, only 4 percent of the population smoked in the past year. A group of researchers asked the marijuana users about their driving habits and determined that the drivers were four times as likely to crash when they were high compared to when they drove sober at the same time of day. 4. Greater appetite
At Seattle’s 2013 Hempfest, police wanted to remind attendees of the state’s pot laws. To make sure Hempfesters got the message, they attached the rules to bags of Doritos. They capitalized on a long-held belief about marijuana: it boosts desire to eat junk food, also known as the munchies. A 2001 study in the journal Nature offers an explanation. The study found that activating cannabinoid receptors in a part of the brain called the hypothalamus could trigger the release of leptin and neuropeptide Y, hormones that stimulate appetite.