NCBI Bookshelf. A service of the National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health.
Significant changes have taken place in the policy landscape surrounding cannabis legalization, production, and use. During the past 20 years, 25 states and the District of Columbia have legalized cannabis and/or cannabidiol (a component of cannabis) for medical conditions or retail sales at the state level and 4 states have legalized both the medical and recreational use of cannabis. These landmark changes in policy have impacted cannabis use patterns and perceived levels of risk.
However, despite this changing landscape, evidence regarding the short- and long-term health effects of cannabis use remains elusive. While a myriad of studies have examined cannabis use in all its various forms, often these research conclusions are not appropriately synthesized, translated for, or communicated to policy makers, health care providers, state health officials, or other stakeholders who have been charged with influencing and enacting policies, procedures, and laws related to cannabis use. Unlike other controlled substances such as alcohol or tobacco, no accepted standards for safe use or appropriate dose are available to help guide individuals as they make choices regarding the issues of if, when, where, and how to use cannabis safely and, in regard to therapeutic uses, effectively.
Shifting public sentiment, conflicting and impeded scientific research, and legislative battles have fueled the debate about what, if any, harms or benefits can be attributed to the use of cannabis or its derivatives, and this lack of aggregated knowledge has broad public health implications. The Health Effects of Cannabis and Cannabinoids provides a comprehensive review of scientific evidence related to the health effects and potential therapeutic benefits of cannabis. This report provides a research agenda—outlining gaps in current knowledge and opportunities for providing additional insight into these issues—that summarizes and prioritizes pressing research needs.
Contents
- The National Academies of SCIENCES • ENGINEERING • MEDICINE
- COMMITTEE ON THE HEALTH EFFECTS OF MARIJUANA: AN EVIDENCE REVIEW AND RESEARCH AGENDA
- Reviewers
- Acknowledgments
- Preface
- Summary
- I. Introduction and Background
- II. Therapeutic Effects
- 4. Therapeutic Effects of Cannabis and Cannabinoids
- CHRONIC PAIN
- CANCER
- CHEMOTHERAPY-INDUCED NAUSEA AND VOMITING
- ANOREXIA AND WEIGHT LOSS
- IRRITABLE BOWEL SYNDROME
- EPILEPSY
- SPASTICITY ASSOCIATED WITH MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS OR SPINAL CORD INJURY
- TOURETTE SYNDROME
- AMYOTROPHIC LATERAL SCLEROSIS
- HUNTINGTON'S DISEASE
- PARKINSON'S DISEASE
- DYSTONIA
- DEMENTIA
- GLAUCOMA
- TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY/INTRACRANIAL HEMORRHAGE
- ADDICTION
- ANXIETY
- DEPRESSION
- SLEEP DISORDERS
- POSTTRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER
- SCHIZOPHRENIA AND OTHER PSYCHOSES
- RESEARCH GAPS
- SUMMARY
- REFERENCES
- 4. Therapeutic Effects of Cannabis and Cannabinoids
- III. Other Health Effects
- IV. Research Barriers and Recommendations
- APPENDIXES
Suggested citation:
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2017. The health effects of cannabis and cannabinoids: The current state of evidence and recommendations for research. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/24625.
- NLM CatalogRelated NLM Catalog Entries
- Prescription of Controlled Substances: Benefits and Risks.[StatPearls. 2025]Prescription of Controlled Substances: Benefits and Risks.Preuss CV, Kalava A, King KC. StatPearls. 2025 Jan
- CANNABIS LEGALIZATION IN STATE LEGISLATURES: PUBLIC HEALTH OPPORTUNITY AND RISK.[Marquette Law Rev. 2020]CANNABIS LEGALIZATION IN STATE LEGISLATURES: PUBLIC HEALTH OPPORTUNITY AND RISK.Orenstein DG, Glantz SA. Marquette Law Rev. 2020 Summer; 103(4):1313-1400.
- State Cannabis Legalization and Psychosis-Related Health Care Utilization.[JAMA Netw Open. 2023]State Cannabis Legalization and Psychosis-Related Health Care Utilization.Elser H, Humphreys K, Kiang MV, Mehta S, Yoon JH, Faustman WO, Matthay EC. JAMA Netw Open. 2023 Jan 3; 6(1):e2252689. Epub 2023 Jan 3.
- Review Co-use of cannabis, tobacco, and alcohol during adolescence: policy and regulatory implications.[Int Rev Psychiatry. 2018]Review Co-use of cannabis, tobacco, and alcohol during adolescence: policy and regulatory implications.Schlienz NJ, Lee DC. Int Rev Psychiatry. 2018 Jun; 30(3):226-237. Epub 2018 Jun 26.
- Review Early evidence of the impact of cannabis legalization on cannabis use, cannabis use disorder, and the use of other substances: Findings from state policy evaluations.[Am J Drug Alcohol Abuse. 2019]Review Early evidence of the impact of cannabis legalization on cannabis use, cannabis use disorder, and the use of other substances: Findings from state policy evaluations.Smart R, Pacula RL. Am J Drug Alcohol Abuse. 2019; 45(6):644-663. Epub 2019 Oct 11.
- The Health Effects of Cannabis and CannabinoidsThe Health Effects of Cannabis and Cannabinoids
Your browsing activity is empty.
Activity recording is turned off.
See more...