Is Cannabis Medicine?
Purchasers seem to think so but new research says not so fast
By Mark S Gold
Published by Psychology Today on December 5, 2025
Key points
• Most Americans support legalized cannabis for medical purposes.
• After thousands of studies, medicinal cannabis and cannabinoids are unproven for most medical uses.
• Cannabis researchers, learning from approvals for ketamine and previous failures, are changing how they study.
Many patients turn to cannabis or cannabidiol (CBD) for chronic pain, appetite loss, sleep disorders, and other conditions, believing “natural” equals “safe and effective.” However, a recent comprehensive JAMA review challenges this assumption. Lead author, Harvard University’s Kevin P. Hill, M.D., writes, “Beyond FDA-approved indications, the evidence for cannabis and cannabinoids as medical treatment is limited.” After evaluating more than a thousand studies, cannabis and cannabinoids remain unproven for most medical uses.
