Does Tylenol give you the munchies?

There may be a reason for that. Apparently a bunch of NIH scientists have figured out that the pain-killing effects of acetaminophen (Tylenol) or paracetamol (the UK version of Tylenol) are caused by a reaction in the brain that is similar (if not identical) to marijuana!

"Although paracetamol has been used clinically for more than a century, its mode of action has been a mystery until about one year ago, when two independent groups (Zygmunt and colleagues and Bertolini and colleagues) produced experimental data unequivocally demonstrating that the analgesic effect of paracetamol is due to the indirect activation of cannabinoid CB(1) receptors."

Yep, cannabinoids. The stuff that makes people "feel no pain" when they smoke marijuana* is also what kills your headache when you take Tylenol. So, if this is true, couldn't marijuana be made legal? Or, conversely, couldn't the people who get to take medical marijuana just take Tylenol instead? NORML is going to have a field day with this!







* Having never smoked the stuff, I have no first-hand knowledge of this. Really.