5 Most Common Reasons Doctors Recommend Medical Cannabis

Since California legalized cannabis back in ’96, there’s been a lot of questioning and controversy over what should or shouldn’t be considered a qualifying condition to use the plant medicinally. Unfortunately, the patchwork of laws means that you may qualify in one state but not the next – but there are a handful of common reasons doctors recommend medical cannabis that you’ll find in (just about) any place where medical marijuana is legal.

Recommendation VS Prescription: Can Doctors Prescribe Medical Marijuana?

First – before we get into this list of common qualifying conditions – let’s take a look at why I keep using the word recommend over prescribe. When it comes to the United States, cannabis is, for now, classified as a Schedule I drug.  With this being the case, according to the Controlled Substances Act (CSA), it is illegal for any licensed doctor to prescribe cannabis for any condition, regardless of state law.  This is obviously not the case in nations like Canada, where cannabis has been legalized on both a Federal and Provincial level.

To get around this and allow doctors to treat their patients with a medicine that has tons of therapeutic potential and very few harmful side effects, state laws are generally worded to allow healthcare professionals to recommend medical cannabis. In some states, that recommendation may be called a certification or something else similar – but they are all carefully chosen replacements for ‘prescribe’.

This protects healthcare professionals from potentially seeing their license revoked or other negative repercussions that could follow attempting to prescribe cannabis.

With that cleared up, let’s look at a study titled Qualifying Conditions of Medical Cannabis License holders in the United States, which was published through Health Affairs back in 2019. Even though this study is a few years old, it is still the only source to combine data from medical cannabis registries across the U.S.

We’ll also look at data from a study published in PubMed Central titled Prevalence and Self-Reported Reasons of Cannabis Use for Medical Purposes in the USA and Canada, which looks at data from self-reported medical cannabis users who may or may not have a doctors recommendation/certification to validate their use.

1. Relief for Chronic Pain

Overwhelmingly, the most common reason for medical cannabis use, both self-reported and based on data from medical cannabis programs around the U.S., is chronic pain. This is also the condition for which there is possibly the most evidence validating the use of cannabis as an alternative to pharmaceutical options.

According to the PubMed Central study, it found that 53% were primarily using cannabis for chronic pain, so it shouldn’t be surprising that the Health Affairs study found over 60% of both doctor-certified and self-reported qualifying conditions were listed as chronic pain.

The data shows, on average, around 65% of medical cannabis recommendations (or uses) are an alternative treatment for people who experience chronic pain from any number of conditions.

2. Anxiety Disorders

Possibly, the next most common reason people seek a medical cannabis recommendation is for anxiety in one form or another. However, most people who use medical cannabis for anxiety have a comorbid qualifying condition that may be their primary reason for obtaining a doctor’s recommendation.

While the Health Affairs study doesn’t look at anxiety as a single category, it found PTSD specifically counted for roughly 4% of medical cannabis patients – which means the number is much higher if you add conditions like Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Panic Attack Disorder, or Social Anxiety Disorder to that list.

According to the PubMed Central study, over 50% of self-reported cannabis users claim anxiety to be the main use for medical cannabis. Keep in mind that the study looked at physical and mental health separately and was looking at self-reported medical cannabis use.

3. Sleep Disorders like Insomnia

Another condition that isn’t always the initial qualifier for medical cannabis that many use medical cannabis for is treating insomnia. Whether this is trouble falling asleep or staying asleep, patients find that both are considerably improved with evening cannabis use.

While insomnia can occur on its own, it is usually a symptom of the underlying qualifying condition, such as chronic pain or anxiety over a debilitating illness like cancer, HIV/AIDs, or MS, that leads to problems sleeping in the first place.

4. To Fight Nausea and Vomiting

Of the physical conditions that lead to a medical cannabis recommendation, nausea and vomiting are also among the most common. Cannabis has routinely been found helpful in reducing nausea, which typically results in throwing up in the first place.

Again, this is usually a symptom of an underlying condition like HIV/AIDs or cancer and not a symptom that (often) on its own would be a qualifier for medical cannabis. The Health Affairs study says that around 6% of medical cannabis users are simply trying to keep chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting at bay.

5. Stimulating Appetites

Once the fight to end the nausea is over, cannabis is often used to stimulate appetite – and has been found incredibly useful in the treatment of things like wasting syndrome, which often affects those with chronic or fatal illnesses.

According to the PubMed Central study, 22% reported using cannabis to stimulate appetite, closely followed by 21% reporting they use it to calm their stomach (fight nausea). According to the Health Affairs study, 3% report using cannabis to treat cancer-associated appetite problems.

Other Conditions that Doctors Routinely Recommend Treating with Medical Cannabis

These are by far not the only conditions that a doctor might recommend medical cannabis for, however they are some of the most common uses for medical cannabis. Other conditions that are routine ones that will qualify for medical cannabis use in most places include glaucoma, epilepsy, irritable bowel syndrome, and multiple sclerosis, among many others.

If medical cannabis is legal in your state and you think it might benefit you, the best thing you can do is reach out to a physician who is experienced in medical marijuana treatments and can help you either obtain a card and/or guide you in your treatment options.