Medical Cannabis and Anorexia: What the Research Shows

Medical marijuana is not a proven anorexia treatment. In a 2014 trial of 25 women with severe, long-standing anorexia nervosa, 24 of whom completed it, the THC drug dronabinol led to a small weight gain of 0.73 kg over placebo in four weeks, and eating-disorder questionnaire scores did not change significantly.

Anorexia nervosa is a serious medical condition, not a diet. Movies, network channels, social media, and advertising create the image that being thin is a symbol of beauty, power, and success. Too often, this can lead to feelings of inadequacy, low self-esteem, and a negative body image, especially in women and young girls. For some people, the desire to become thin turns into a compulsion that can lead to self-starvation. Losing extreme amounts of weight is a dangerous behavior that can cause severe health issues, often leading to a life-threatening eating disorder called anorexia nervosa.

Anorexia nervosa is about much more than not eating and losing weight. People with it take extreme measures to lose as much weight as possible. A person may accomplish this by drastically limiting their calorie intake, excessive exercising, vomiting up any food they did eat, and misusing diet aids, laxatives, and diuretics. Losing weight becomes an obsession.

Once they have progressed to excessive weight loss, they become terrified of gaining any of it back. Attempts from concerned family and friends to get them to eat can drive them deeper into their fears and compulsions. The exact cause of anorexia is not known. Some theories suggest genetic triggers that increase an individual’s risk of developing the disorder, societal emphasis on being thin, underlying psychological problems, or a combination of issues. It’s believed that people with anorexia work to lose extreme amounts of weight and change their body shape as a way to cope with severe emotional problems. It may give them a sense of control in their life.

Anorexia Treatment

Anorexia treatment is a multi-layered care approach to work with the unique needs of each person. Medical doctors, mental health professionals, and nutrition experts work together to treat each aspect of the disorder. This approach often includes long-term psychotherapy, medications, nutrition education, and group and family counseling. Severe cases may need emergency care and a stay in the hospital. Severe weight loss can cause life-threatening health issues such as dehydration, dangerous heart rhythms from low potassium, malnutrition and seizures.

Some medicines may help, but none has been proven to decrease the desire to lose weight, MedlinePlus notes. Antidepressants, antipsychotics, and mood stabilizers may help some people with the psychological symptoms, as part of a complete treatment program. Because anorexia is a disorder where the individual doesn’t want to consume anything that might make them gain weight, they often refuse to take any medications. For severe, life-threatening malnutrition, a person may need to be fed through a vein or a stomach tube.

Some people also ask whether medical marijuana has a role alongside that care; the 2014 trial described above tested dronabinol, a THC drug, added to standard treatment.

Does Medical Marijuana Help Anorexia?

Medical marijuana is not a substitute for the prescribed treatment, therapy and nutrition care that anorexia needs. No cannabis product is approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for eating disorders. Cannabis and cannabinoid drugs have been studied for symptoms of other conditions, including chronic pain, multiple sclerosis symptoms, chemotherapy nausea and appetite loss in HIV/AIDS.

The 2014 dronabinol trial found no significant change in eating-disorder symptoms, and CDC notes that cannabis use is associated with depression and social anxiety and can sometimes cause feelings of anxiety and paranoia, problems some people with anorexia already face. There is no trial evidence that medical marijuana eases the depression and anxiety that often come with anorexia. Some people ask whether cannabis strains could ease the sleep problems that can come with anorexia; the 2014 trial measured weight and eating-disorder symptoms, not sleep.

For people with AIDS, the FDA approved dronabinol to treat appetite loss; for advanced cancer, a trial found that oral THC did not improve appetite or weight gain compared with megestrol, an appetite stimulant. Our post on medical marijuana use for HIV and AIDS covers the stages of the disease. Dronabinol is also approved for chemotherapy nausea and vomiting that other medicines have not controlled. Dronabinol acts on the area of the brain that controls appetite, MedlinePlus says, but in the anorexia trial the weight gain was small and eating-disorder thinking did not change significantly.

What Are Florida’s Rules on Medical Marijuana?

In Florida, a qualified physician enters a certification in the state registry, not a prescription, and patients buy from licensed medical marijuana treatment centers. Florida does not accept out-of-state cards, and rules on visiting patients differ from state to state. In Florida, only the patient or the patient’s registered caregiver can buy medical marijuana with the ID card. Federal rules do apply: since April 28, 2026, marijuana subject to a state medical marijuana license is in Schedule III, so it is still a federally controlled substance, and all other marijuana remains in Schedule I. Each state sets its own list of qualifying conditions, and Florida’s is in section 381.986(2), Florida Statutes.

Anorexia treatment is different for each individual with the disorder. Although the main symptom of the disease is extreme weight loss, the underlying factors for why are unique to each person. Care from medical doctors, psychiatrists and nutritionists is an essential part of recovery. Whether medical marijuana has any role in anorexia treatment is still unknown, so any use should be part of a plan led by your treatment team.

Is Anorexia a Qualifying Condition in Florida?

In Florida, the legal question is separate from the medical one. Anorexia nervosa is not on Florida’s list of qualifying conditions, so a qualified physician would have to find, after examining you, that your condition meets the comparable-condition test in s. 381.986(2)(k); that decision is at the physician’s discretion, and certification is never promised. You can ask about that at our Sarasota office.

The trial cited here showed a small effect on weight and no significant change in eating-disorder thinking. Any cannabis use belongs inside the plan your medical team runs, not added on your own.

Your treatment team can evaluate your specific needs and check for interactions with your other medications, since the FDA warns that cannabis products can change how other medicines work. Ask your treatment team before adding any cannabis product, and tell them about anything you already use.

Last updated October 16, 2026 by the Dr. Green Relief Editorial Team.

Sources

• Andries A, et al. Dronabinol in severe, enduring anorexia nervosa: a randomized controlled trial. Int J Eat Disord. 2014
• National Institute of Mental Health. Eating Disorders
• FDA. FDA Regulation of Cannabis and Cannabis-Derived Products, Including Cannabidiol (CBD)
• MedlinePlus. Dronabinol
• MedlinePlus. Anorexia (Medical Encyclopedia)
• NCCIH. Cannabis (Marijuana) and Cannabinoids: What You Need To Know
• National Cancer Institute. Cannabis and Cannabinoids (PDQ), Patient Version
• CDC. Cannabis and Mental Health
• FDA. What You Need to Know (And What We’re Working to Find Out) About Products Containing Cannabis or Cannabis-derived Compounds, Including CBD
• Florida Statutes, s. 381.986, Medical use of marijuana
• Florida Office of Medical Marijuana Use. Frequently Asked Questions
• Federal Register 91 FR 22714 (April 28, 2026). Rescheduling of FDA-Approved Products Containing Marijuana to Schedule III