Munchies! Legalized Pot May Be a Boon for McDonald's and Taco Bell

The munchies are driving up fast-food sales in states where marijuana is legal.

Cannabis has been shown to increase users’ appetite, sending many customers of legalized dispensaries to fast-food chains, according to a new study by Green Market Report and Consumer Research Around Cannabis.

Forty-three percent of legal-marijuana users ate at a McDonald’s restaurant in the past four weeks, the survey found. Eighteen percent ate at Taco Bell, while 17.8 percent went to Wendy’s. Those results were significantly higher than among respondents who hadn’t visited a dispensary.

Some 27,500 people responded to the online survey. Other restaurant chains that saw higher consumption from cannabis users included Burger King, KFC, Jack in the Box and Carl’s Jr., according to the study.