Medical marijuana is a drug that contains chemicals called cannabinoids. The cannabinoids in marijuana affect different parts of the body. Some can cause side effects, such as changes in mood or dizziness. Others can help relieve pain, muscle spasms, nausea, and loss of appetite in people with cancer or AIDS.
Marijuana can be used as a pill, vaporized liquid or nasal spray, dried leaves and buds, and the plant itself. People who have a doctor’s prescription for marijuana can avoid being charged with possession if they are caught by a police officer. This usually requires showing the police a state-approved identification card and a doctor’s note.
The FDA has only approved three drugs made from cannabis or compounds related to it: nabilone, marketed as Cesamet, to prevent chemotherapy-related nausea and vomiting; dronabinol, marketed as Marinol and Syndros, to reduce chemotherapy-related nausea and vomiting; and Epidiolex, a marijuana-derived purified substance to treat two rare forms of severe childhood epilepsy (Lennox-Gastaut syndrome and Dravet syndrome).
More research is needed. But there is enough evidence for doctors to feel comfortable recommending cannabis to ease the symptoms of certain conditions or side effects from other treatments. For example, arthritis (wear-and-tear joint disease) is the most common reason older adults use cannabis. A 2022 study found that a marijuana-derived oil helped to relieve painful joints in arthritic lab rats. But there isn’t enough evidence from human studies to show it can help humans with osteoarthritis, the most common form of the condition. medical marijuana