Medical Oncologists’ Views on the Utility of Medical Marijuana Across the Cancer Trajectory

Medical marijuana (MM) is non-pharmaceutical, herbal (typically unrefined) cannabis that healthcare providers recommend therapeutically in line with state law. Federally illegal, it is legal on a state level in 33 states (1). Unlike most illnesses, cancer is a qualifying condition for MM in almost every state law (1). While cancer patients frequently use cannabis to treat symptoms—or even cancer itself-- few empiric studies have examined the efficacy of MM in oncology (2). In 1979, Chang et. al randomized 15 patients to receive unrefined cannabis versus placebo to treat chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (3).

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