A study published in Mayo Clinic Proceedings: Innovations, Quality & Outcomes found that many state-level qualifying conditions for medical marijuana lack supporting evidence, as contrasted by the conclusions of a 2017 report about marijuana from National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM).
The report from the NASEM assessed the potential therapeutic effects of marijuana for more than 20 medical conditions. At the same time, states that have legalized medical marijuana have determined their own lists of qualifying conditions. This study sought to review the degree of evidence from the NASEM report for the qualifying conditions that have been adopted by states.
Among the 20 most common qualifying conditions, the study found that only one was classified by the NASEM report as having substantial evidence for effectiveness. The list of qualifying conditions that had limited supporting evidence included glaucoma, epilepsy, and Alzheimer’s.
The study concluded, “these findings highlight a disparity between state-level [medical marijuana] recommendations and the evidence to support them.” Rather than states following the science, the authors noted, “our results support the notion that states use other information to guide [qualifying conditions] selection, including voter initiatives and public opinion.”
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not approved marijuana for the treatment of any disease or condition, meaning so-called “medical marijuana” is not an actual medicine.
