With one of America’s favorite eating holidays upon us, there are those who find the family dynamics of this occasion to be stressful–whether one is the cook or the dinner guest.
And this Thanksgiving, as we head into national elections with a cast of our history’s most bizarre candidates, heated political debates will likely be unavoidable, which could exacerbate digestive events after multiple servings of turkey, pumpkin pie or your aunt’s sugar-free homemade cranberry sauce.
However, if you are fortunate enough to have access to cannabis… you’re in luck.
Here are five scientific reasons to get stoned on Thanksgiving:
Pot stimulates appetite and makes food taste better – munchies are real. A 2014 study found the increased appetite experienced after smoking is related to pot’s effect on your sense of smell, often translating into acute hunger because smell and taste are related.
Then there is the “love hormone,” oxytocin,which enhances the social experience, according to a University of California Irvine study that found cannabinoids interact with the same parts of the brain that oxytocin does, meaning pot can improve interpersonal bonding. This could prove to be essential when dealing with relatives you would not normally tolerate for a non-stoned second, let alone a lengthy meal.
Pot can help with digestive disorders as it protects the stomach lining, according to a 2013 study published in the Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology.
And, as we all know, pot is safer than alcohol. This is especially important for those who have to drive cars and those who wish to avoid the hangover that usually accompanies that third or fourth glass of wine.
And, last but not least, a few tokes can reduce anxiety. An international study at Vanderbilt University found that when we encounter too much stress, our body’s natural cannabinoid levels may not be sufficient to prevent debilitating anxiety, explaining why people tend to seek a little help to boost those levels.
So, this Thanksgiving, have a few helpful tokes to take off the edge, awaken the appetite and get you safely home. Enjoy!
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