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Using Marijuana As Medicine

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Chronic pain, fatigue or stress may have you asking whether marijuana as medicine is right for you. The short answer: trial evidence supports a few uses, such as chemotherapy nausea, and is thin for most others, so it is a decision to make with a physician.
Cannabis has a long medical history: the National Cancer Institute says its use for medicinal purposes dates back at least 3,000 years. In the United States, access depends on state law, and the FDA has approved only a few drugs made from single cannabinoids.

What Is Medical Marijuana?

Medical marijuana is cannabis used under a state program with a physician’s certification, not a prescription. It’s made from the flowers, leaves and resin of the cannabis plant. Cannabinoids are the chemical compounds in these parts of the plant; NIH counts more than 100 of them besides THC and CBD. The effects of cannabinoids vary from person to person and product to product.

Sellers label products as sativa, indica or hybrid, names taken from older botanical groupings of the cannabis plant. A 2022 chemical analysis of commercial cannabis samples from six states found these labels do not consistently match what is in the product. THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) content depends on the plant’s chemical type, so check the lab result rather than the label.

THC is the substance that gives the user a feeling of being “high.” A calming or energizing effect promised on a label is a marketing claim, not a measured property of the product. Many products are sold as hybrids, a name that says nothing about how much THC or CBD is inside.

Medical marijuana products are usually grouped by their main cannabinoid, THC or CBD. Under federal law, cannabis with no more than 0.3% delta-9 THC by dry weight is hemp, and that definition starts to narrow on November 12, 2026, with a later law delaying parts of it, including the 0.4 mg per-container THC limit and the rule on natural cannabinoids made outside the plant, until at least December 11, 2026. CBD itself does not cause a high, but NIH warns that some CBD products contain THC.

Hand filling in a paper form on a clipboard beside medical supplies

How Is Medical Marijuana Used?

There are several different ways to consume medical marijuana. Smoking and vaping are the fastest ways to feel the effects of a THC-based product. If you have a breathing or lung impairment, smoking isn’t recommended. Pre-rolled joints, hand-rolled joints and pipes are common ways to smoke it. Vaping avoids smoke, but NIH notes the FDA has warned the public not to use THC vaping products after serious lung injuries. Vapor still reaches the lungs, so people with lung problems should ask a physician first. Our guide to vaping CBD oil covers the devices and their risks.

Edibles and tinctures are other forms of consuming medical marijuana. With infused foods and drinks, a 2003 review found that effects start 30 to 90 minutes after eating and peak after 2 to 3 hours. Tinctures are liquid extracts usually placed under the tongue. Medical marijuana can also be applied to the skin as a lotion, oil, cream, spray, or ointment.

Which States Allow Medical Marijuana?

In Florida, a qualified physician enters a certification in the state registry after an in-person exam; doctors do not prescribe marijuana. The physician also reviews your medical records and decides whether your condition qualifies under Florida law. Once the state approves your ID card, you can get your medical marijuana from a licensed dispensary.

Under federal law, marijuana in an FDA-approved product or under a state medical marijuana license moved to Schedule III on April 28, 2026; all other marijuana stays in Schedule I, and marijuana is still a federally controlled substance. A separate proposal to reschedule the rest of marijuana was still pending in October 2026. A peer-reviewed count found 38 states and Washington, D.C. had legalized medical cannabis by June 3, 2022, though Florida does not accept medical marijuana cards from other states.

States take two broad approaches: full medical marijuana programs, and laws that allow only low-THC, high-CBD products. Because these laws change often, the list below links the regulator’s own program page for 20 states rather than a dated summary, and it does not cover every state with a program. For example, Alabama, Kentucky and Mississippi have opened medical cannabis programs that go beyond low-THC, high-CBD oil, and Virginia now runs a Medical Cannabis Program under its Cannabis Control Authority. Texas, by contrast, allows only low-THC cannabis, which its law limits to no more than 10 mg of THC in each dosage unit.

Official medical cannabis program pages, from each state’s regulator (some of these programs allow only low-THC products):

Person in a white coat holding another person’s hands across a desk

Which Conditions Has Medical Marijuana Been Studied For?

The only cannabis-related products the FDA has approved are prescription drugs made from single cannabinoids. Dronabinol (Marinol, Syndros) is synthetic THC, and nabilone (Cesamet) is a different synthetic cannabinoid, not THC; both are approved for nausea and vomiting from chemotherapy. Dronabinol is also approved for loss of appetite with weight loss in people with AIDS. A CBD-based drug, Epidiolex®, is approved for seizures of Lennox-Gastaut syndrome, Dravet syndrome and tuberous sclerosis complex in patients 1 year of age and older.

Researchers have also studied cannabis or cannabinoids for conditions such as these, but for most of them NIH says research is in its early stages:

Anxiety is another reason people try medical marijuana; studies cited by NIDA list it among the chronic conditions older adults mainly use cannabis to self-treat. NIH finds only a small amount of evidence that cannabinoids ease anxiety, mostly from short studies such as one of 24 people with social anxiety disorder. For older adults in particular, our post on medical marijuana for senior citizens covers what they use it for and the risks.

Does Medical Marijuana Help? What Trials Show

The active compounds found in the cannabis plant are similar to chemicals that are found in our own endocannabinoid system (ECS). Cannabinoid receptors help regulate pain, appetite, memory, movement and mood. Plant cannabinoids such as THC act on some of the same receptors as the body’s own cannabinoids. Trials of cannabinoid medicines show modest effects on chemotherapy nausea, some chronic pain and self-rated MS spasticity, and seizures in three rare epilepsies.

For most other conditions the evidence is limited, so medical marijuana is an option to discuss with a physician, not a proven treatment. Research is ongoing, and cannabinoid medicines cause side effects such as dizziness and sleepiness more often than placebo, so new findings may change how marijuana is used as medicine.

If you live in Florida and want to know whether you qualify, the physician at our Sarasota office can review your records and explain the state rules. Florida law lists cancer, epilepsy, glaucoma, HIV, AIDS, PTSD, ALS, Crohn’s disease, Parkinson’s disease and multiple sclerosis, plus a terminal condition diagnosed by another physician and chronic nonmalignant pain caused by or originating from a qualifying condition. After examining you, a qualified physician may also certify you for another condition if it is of the same kind or class as, or comparable to, one of the listed conditions other than a terminal condition or chronic nonmalignant pain; that decision is at the physician’s discretion, and certification is never promised. A visit is a medical evaluation, so whether you are certified depends on what the physician finds and on Florida law.

Last updated October 29, 2026 by the Dr. Green Relief Editorial Team.

Medical review

Medically reviewed by Achilles Kalnoky, M.D.

Reviewed on .

He is licensed in Florida as a medical doctor, license ME115088, which you can check on the Florida Department of Health license lookup.

His review covers the medical statements in this post and the sources cited for them.

Sources

About the Author

Dr. Green Relief Editorial Team

The Dr. Green Relief editorial team writes and updates the articles on this blog. They are general information, not medical advice; talk with a licensed physician about your own care. Medical review, where shown, applies only to the Florida pages that carry a review date.

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