What is medical marijuana used for?
Medical marijuana is used to treat a number of different conditions, including:
- Alzheimer’s disease
- Appetite loss
- Cancer
- Crohn’s disease
- Diseases effecting the immune system like HIV/AIDS or Multiple Sclerosis (MS)
- Eating disorders such as anorexia
- Epilepsy
- Glaucoma
- Mental health conditions like schizophrenia and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
- Multiple sclerosis
- Muscle spasms
- Nausea
- Pain
- Seizures
- Wasting syndrome (cachexia) That said, experts say that medical marijuana is not yet proven to help many of these conditions, with a few exceptions.
Reviewed by Melinda Ratini on August 20, 2020
Marcel Bonn-Miller, PhD, adjunct assistant professor, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine.
National Conference of State Legislatures: “State Medical Marijuana Laws.”
National Institute on Drug Abuse: “Drug Facts: Is Marijuana Medicine?” “Is Marijuana Addictive?”
Drug Enforcement Administration: “Drug Schedules.”
Department of Health and Human Services.
Kaur, R. Current Clinical Pharmacology, April 2016.
PDQ Integrative, Alternative, and Complementary Therapies Editorial Board: “Cannabis and Cannabinoids (PDQ).”
Schrot, R. Annals of Medicine, May 2016.
Epilepsy Foundation: “Learn About Medical Marijuana and Epilepsy.”
News release, Ohio Gov. John Kasich’s office.
News release, Insys Therapeutics, Inc.
For Marijuana Map:
Governing.com: “State Marijuana Laws Map.”
NCSL: “State Medical Marijuana Laws.”
Marcel Bonn-Miller, PhD, adjunct assistant professor, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine.
National Conference of State Legislatures: “State Medical Marijuana Laws.”
National Institute on Drug Abuse: “Drug Facts: Is Marijuana Medicine?” “Is Marijuana Addictive?”
Drug Enforcement Administration: “Drug Schedules.”
Department of Health and Human Services.
Kaur, R. Current Clinical Pharmacology, April 2016.
PDQ Integrative, Alternative, and Complementary Therapies Editorial Board: “Cannabis and Cannabinoids (PDQ).”
Schrot, R. Annals of Medicine, May 2016.
Epilepsy Foundation: “Learn About Medical Marijuana and Epilepsy.”
News release, Ohio Gov. John Kasich’s office.
medical marijuana is used to treat a number of different conditions, including: * alzheimer’s disease * appetite loss * cancer * crohn’s disease * eating disorders such as anorexia * glaucoma * ]]>