Cannabis

Eating 14: Effects on brain centres

THC influences several different brain centres. You may therefore experience different kinds of effects.

Reward system
The reward system is one of the brain centres. The reward system may be stimulated by cannabis, giving you a mildly blissful feeling. Because some people would like to repeat that feeling again and again, cannabis can be addictive. From 5 to 10 percent of cannabis users develop cannabis dependency.

Hippocampus
The hippocampus is also affected by THC. That can interfere with your memory. You find it more difficult to remember recent events.

Hypothalamus
Some people get the ‘munchies’ when they smoke cannabis. That is because THC stimulates the brain’s hunger centre in the hypothalamus.