LOS ANGELES (ABC7) — When you've got the munchies, all food is not created equal -- especially on 420, the unofficial marijuana holiday on April 20, when burgers and cookies are notably more popular than on a normal day.
According to information provided by food delivery app Postmates, hamburger orders increase by more than 300% on 420 as revelers celebrate anything and everything marijuana. Cookie orders increase by over 170%, and orders for Taco Bell's cult favorite Doritos Locos Tacos double on April 20.
As far as specific restaurants are concerned, Wingstop, Wendy's, Shake Shack and Burger King are high on the list of 420 favorites, with Postmates' most-ordered other dishes for April 20 including chicken nuggets, sandwiches and wings as well as milkshakes and burgers:
- Wingstop: Classic wings
- Shake Shack: Griddled Chick'n Club
- Wendy's: Spicy Chicken Combo, 10 Pc. Chicken Nuggets Combo, Small Frosty, Spicy Chicken Combo, 11 Pc. Chicken Nuggets Combo
- Burger King: Milkshake
Scientists are still trying to determine exactly why marijuana gives users the munchies. A 2015 Yale study suggested that marijuana tricks the neurological mechanism that, under normal circumstances, tells the body when to feel full.
"It's like pressing a car's brakes and accelerating instead," Tamas Horvath, the study lead author, said in a news release. "We were surprised to find that the neurons we thought were responsible for shutting down eating, were suddenly being activated and promoting hunger, even when you are full. It fools the brain's central feeding system."
Other research has suggested that marijuana heightens the user's sense of smell, therefore making users feel hungry regardless of how full they actually are.
Story courtesy of ABC7.
