Medical cannabis and cannabinoids in raw or dried flowers, oils, capsules, powders, edibles, and topicals may reduce pain, and some evidence shows benefit with nausea and anxiety, but little evidence of improving treatment outcomes.
How do experts use cannabis and cannabinoids (marijuana)?
Both medical groups and integrative experts have evaluated cannabis and cannabinoids for treating people with cancer. Learn more about the approaches and meanings of recommendations: Integrative Oncology Programs and Expert Guidelines ›
Clinical practice guidelines
The American Society of Clinical Oncology’s current guidelines do not recommend cannabis as a direct cancer therapy, though they state cannabis or cannabinoids may help with nausea that does not respond to other medication.
Recommendations:
- There is currently no strong, high-quality evidence supporting cannabinoids for cancer pain, psychological symptoms, or insomnia as primary indications
- Select use may be considered for refractory insomnia only after conventional options have failed and with careful risk assessment
- Emphasize regular review and adverse effect monitoring
- Avoid in patients being treated with checkpoint inhibitors due to potential harm
Expert commentary
CancerChoices staff October 9, 2021, from Donald Abrams’ article Integrating cannabis into clinical cancer care › “One of the more distressing situations that oncologists increasingly face is trying to counsel the patient who has a curable diagnosis, but who seeks to forego conventional cancer treatment in favor of depending on cannabis oil to eradicate their malignancy because of the large number of online testimonials from people claiming such results. Given my long practice in San Francisco, I can assume that a large proportion of my patients have used cannabis during their journey. If cannabis cured cancer, I would have a lot more survivors in my practice today.”
Helpful link
Abrams DI. Cannabis, Cannabis, cannabinoids and cannabis-based medicines in cancer care. Integrative Cancer Therapies. 2022 Jan-Dec;21:15347354221081772.
Keep reading about cannabis and cannabinoids
Reviewer
Dr. Abrams is past chief of the Hematology-Oncology Division at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital, an integrative oncologist at the UCSF Osher Center for Integrative Medicine and professor of clinical medicine at the University of California San Francisco. He co-edited the Oxford University Press textbook Integrative Oncology with Andrew Weil, MD. He is a member of the NCI PDQ CAM Editorial Board. Dr. Abrams was president of the Society for Integrative Oncology in 2010 and is a CancerChoices advisor.
Last update: November 17, 2025
Last full literature review: October 2025
We are grateful to integrative oncologist and CancerChoices advisor Donald Abrams, MD, for his generous sharing of research articles and commentary.
CancerChoices provides information about integrative in cancer care, a patient-centered approach combining the best of conventional care, self care and evidence-informed complementary care in an integrated plan cancer care. We review complementaryin cancer care, complementary care involves the use of therapies intended to enhance or add to standard conventional treatments; examples include supplements, mind-body approaches such as yoga or psychosocial therapy, and acupuncture therapies and self-care lifestyle actions and behaviors that may impact cancer outcomes; examples include eating health-promoting foods, limiting alcohol, increasing physical activity, and managing stress practices to help patients and professionals explore and integrate the best combination of conventionalthe cancer care offered by conventionally trained physicians and most hospitals; examples are chemotherapy, surgery, and radiotherapy and complementary therapies and practices for each person.
Our staff have no financial conflicts of interest to declare. We receive no funds from any manufacturers or retailers gaining financial profit by promoting or discouraging therapies mentioned on this site.
