In the past years, a significant volume of research has implicated the appetitive hormone
ghrelin in the mechanisms underlying drug use and addiction. From a neuroscientific
standpoint, ghrelin modulates both reward and stress pathways, two key drivers of
substance use behaviors. Previous investigations support a connection between the ghrelin
system and alcohol, stimulants, and tobacco use in both animals and humans, while the
research on opioids and cannabis is scarce. In general, upregulation of the ghrelin system …