This New Study is the Best News Pot Smokers Will Hear All Day

Forget the image you have of couch-bound potheads scarfing down Taco Bell. Two recent studies completed by the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions and the National Comorbidity Survey have found that cannabis use is associated with lower rates of obesity.

The trick is you need to smoke at least three times a week. Folks following these simple steps, regardless of the munchies they incur, are found to have a 7% lower Body Mass Index, 16% lower insulin levels, 17% lower insulin resistance, and 4% smaller waist circumferences.

Now that I think about it, they did burn a lot of carbs in Reefer Madness:

Maybe it's because pot smokers are younger and primarily college kids. Dr. Yann Le Strat, a psychiatrist and co-author of "Cannabis Use: Results From 2 Representative National Survey," notes that the "findings are too preliminary" and that there are "a lot of different substances in cannabis. The observed association may be due to the effects of one of them."

Life's all about trade-offs, and Le Strat notes that "a lower risk of obesity … does not counterbalance … negative effects on health and mental health." So for now it's up to you to weigh the evidence. For many, the combination of weed and being skinny might just be the stuff that dreams are made of.