Cannabis and Cannabinoids (Marijuana)

• Preliminary evidencesignificant effects in small or poorly designed clinical studies OR conflicting results in adequate studies but a preponderance of evidence of an effect (this is the CancerChoices definition; other researchers and studies may define this differently) of tumor response among people with recurrent glioblastoma multiforme treated with cannabis
• Weak evidenceone or more case studies, supported by animal evidence OR small treatment effects of limited clinical significance OR studies with no controls OR weak trends of effects (this is the CancerChoices definition; other researchers and studies may define this differently) of anticancer effects and reduced tumors
• No evidence of an effectoverall, one or more studies did not demonstrate that a treatment or intervention led to an expected outcome; this does not always mean that there is no effect in clinical practice, but that the studies may have been underpowered (too few participants) or poorly designed. Larger, well-designed studies provide more confidence in making assessments. on time to tumor progression or survival after first-line monotherapy pembrolizumab among people with metastatic non-small cell lung cancer treated with cannabis

See How can cannabis help you? What the research says ›

What is your body terrain? ›

• Preliminary evidencesignificant effects in small or poorly designed clinical studies OR conflicting results in adequate studies but a preponderance of evidence of an effect (this is the CancerChoices definition; other researchers and studies may define this differently) of lower blood sugar levels among people with type 2 diabetes treated with THCV
• Preliminary evidence of beneficial changes in the relative numbers of microbial species in the tongues of people without cancer with chronic inhalation-based exposure to cannabis; see also opposite findings regarding microbes in the oral pharynx in Safety and precautions ›

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• Modest evidencesignificant effects in at least three small but well-designed randomized controlled trials (RCTs), or one or more well-designed, mid-sized clinical studies of reasonably good quality (RCTs or observational studies), or several small studies aggregated into a meta-analysis (this is the CancerChoices definition; other researchers and studies may define this differently) of less cancer-related pain among people treated with either cannabis or some cannabinoids
• Modest evidence of less chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting among people using cannabis or cannabinoids
• Modest evidence of less vomiting among people treated with cannabinoids compared to neuroleptics (antipsychotic medication)
• Modest evidence of comparable effects on nausea and vomiting among people treated with cannabinoids compared to prochlorperazine
• No evidence of an effectoverall, one or more studies did not demonstrate that a treatment or intervention led to an expected outcome; this does not always mean that there is no effect in clinical practice, but that the studies may have been underpowered (too few participants) or poorly designed. Larger, well-designed studies provide more confidence in making assessments. on appetite among people treated with cannabis or cannabinoids in several analyses of research studies

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• No evidence of an effectoverall, one or more studies did not demonstrate that a treatment or intervention led to an expected outcome; this does not always mean that there is no effect in clinical practice, but that the studies may have been underpowered (too few participants) or poorly designed. Larger, well-designed studies provide more confidence in making assessments. on cancer recurrence of oropharynx squamous cell carcinoma among people using cannabis in a preliminary study
• No evidence of an effect on risk of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma among people using cannabis

See How can cannabis help you? What the research says ›

• Limited use by our program sources
• Cannabis is mentioned in practice guidelines without recommendation for use due to lack of evidence
• The synthetic cannabinoids dronabinol and nabilone are listed as drugs commonly used to treat nausea and vomiting in one guideline

See How do experts use cannabis? ›

• Moderate caution is needed or may interact with other treatments, including immunotherapy, and supervision by a medical professional is highly recommended
• Physical and/or psychological dependence on cannabis can develop with sustained use
• Weakone or more case studies, supported by animal evidence OR small treatment effects of limited clinical significance OR studies with no controls OR weak trends of effects (this is the CancerChoices definition; other researchers and studies may define this differently) to modest evidencesignificant effects in at least three small but well-designed randomized controlled trials (RCTs), or one or more well-designed, mid-sized clinical studies of reasonably good quality (RCTs or observational studies), or several small studies aggregated into a meta-analysis (this is the CancerChoices definition; other researchers and studies may define this differently) of increased risk of several types of cancer among people using cannabis

See Safety and precautions ›

• Available with restrictions
• Moderately expensive (more than $2000 US/year but less than $20,000 US); cost depends on dose, formulation and frequency of use

See Affordability and access ›