New Delhi, Feb. 7 -- It's well known that smoking weed can give you the munchies. But exactly how cannabis stimulates appetite, and why that's useful knowledge, has been revealed by new research in the United States. The researchers at Washington State University exposed rats and mice to cannabis vapor to stimulate specific brain regions associated with appetite. (Also Read | Fact check: How dangerous is cannabis, really?)

They also observed the rodents' feeding behaviour, such as how often they ate.

Independent experts that DW contacted, such as Donald Abrams, an oncologist at University of California San Francisco, suggested the findings were a useful addition to existing research into the medicinal application of cannabis.

"Rats are...