Science & Health
Medical Marijuana Helps Cancer Patients With Pain, Anxiety And Nausea, Government Study Shows
Medical marijuana appears to help cancer patients by decreasing pain, nausea, vomiting, anxiety and depression while also improving sleep, according to a new study conducted by government officials in Minnesota.
The research, published on Friday by the Minnesota Office of Cannabis Management (OCM), is “one of the largest studies ever involving medical cannabis treatment,” officials said. It involved an analysis of marijuana purchases, self-evaluation surveys and symptom and side-effect ratings for 6,621 patients enrolled in the state’s medical cannabis program.
Patients rated the severity of various symptoms when they first enrolled in the program and then again at various points while they were receiving treatment.
Of the 82 percent of cancer patients who reported moderate to severe pain, nearly a third (30 percent) saw a reduction in their pain score of at least 30 percent within four months of their first medical marijuana purchase. More than half were able to maintain that level of reduced pain after an additional four months.
Upon enrollment in the program, over half of participants said they experienced nausea and more than a quarter reported vomiting. Of those, after four months, forty percent reported a reduction in nausea scores of 30 percent or more, and 47 percent reported reduced vomiting scores of 30 percent or more. Those improvements lasted for at least another four months for 65 percent of those with nausea and 74 percent of those with vomiting.
“These results show great promise in using cannabis for treating the symptoms that occur with cancer and cancer-related treatments,” Dr. Grace Christensen, a senior research analyst with OCM, said in a press release. “Even minor relief can improve patients’ quality of life and help them better manage battling the disease.”
Among patients who experienced lack of appetite, 38 percent reported a 30 percent or greater improvement in scores within four months of their first medical cannabis purchase. Nearly two-thirds of those (63 percent) maintained that improvement for at least another four months.
“Patients reported decreased nausea, vomiting, anxiety, and depression scores within four months of starting medical cannabis. Patients reported improved sleep scores within four months of starting medical cannabis.”
The study also found benefits for patients with anxiety, depression, sleep and fatigue issues.
“A majority of patients qualified for cancer-related conditions also reported moderate to severe scores for anxiety (71.7%), depression (60.5%), disturbed sleep (82.8%), and fatigue (91.5%),” it said. “Among patients with moderate to severe scores, 20.2% with anxiety, 22.4% with depression, 18.2% with disturbed sleep, and 10.8% with fatigue were able to achieve and maintain ≥30% reduction in symptom score.”
The paper published by OCM also includes a number of quotes from individual patients about how medical cannabis helps them:
- “Improves my quality of life immensely. Helps with pain, has a calming effect on my anxiety improves my moods when the clouds of cancer return. I have Stage IV terminal cancer; but I’m relatively happy!”
- “Relief from pain, neuropathy, and help with sleep at night.”
- “Much less anxious and able to deal with things so much easier, it helps a lot with pain so I don’t have to take as much other stuff, it really helps with falling asleep and staying asleep longer.”
- “Lessening degree of pain, increase desire to eat.”
- “Most useful medication that I have for nausea, anxiety (since prognosis worsened).”
- “Help with appetite, nausea, and peace of mind and motivation.”
Only 15 percent of patients participating in the study reported an adverse side effect of medical cannabis use, and 60 percent of those were described as mild.
“Cannabis treatment appears relatively safe, and we now have strong observational evidence that many patients report better control of several cancer-related symptoms,” Dr. Dylan Zylla, oncologist and medical director of the HealthPartners Cancer Research Center, said. “I recommend starting with a low dose of THC and adjusting up gradually every few days to reduce the risk of side effects.”
OCM Executive Director Eric Taubel said the study provided “encouraging results for people who are battling cancer.”
A previous study published by state officials in Minnesota found that medical marijuana use by chronic pain patients is associated with significant improvements in life enjoyment, general activity and physical wellbeing.
OCM also conducted a study showing that medical cannabis provides significant benefits for people struggling with sleep apnea.
When it comes to cancer, the new OCM research is the latest to show that medical marijuana can provide relief for people struggling with the disease.
For example, a recent federally funded study found that “cannabis use conferred therapeutic benefits for several health issues commonly encountered by cancer patients“—including “pain relief, improved sleep, physical relaxation, emotional regulation, and reduction of concomitant medication.”
A separate study found that nearly one in five cancer survivors say they’ve used CBD after getting their diagnosis—primarily to manage pain, sleep difficulties and emotional distress. And more than half of those who used it for specific symptoms reported at least some benefit.
Another recent study determined that medical marijuana extracts “meaningfully” improve cancer-related symptoms such as sleep difficulties and anxiety—though responses varied among patients depending on personal preferences for individual cannabinoid content of the extracts.
Researchers separately found that components of marijuana show “consistent and statistically significant anti-tumor effects” in certain types of cancer, including glioblastoma and breast cancer. The study also showed that cannabinoids seem to “enhance chemotherapy efficacy.”
Another systemic review concluded that studies “consistently show” that the CBD is a potential “anticancer agent across different cancer types”—and that effect applies to dogs as well as humans.
A similar analysis showed that CBD “holds substantial promise as an anti-tumor agent” in addition to its other anti-inflammatory properties.
Scientists explored CBD’s effect on many types of cancer—including some of the most aggressive ones, such as glioblastoma, which affects the brain. They also noted it can help suppressing the growth and metastasis of other cancers, including breast, lung, colorectal, ovarian and prostate, among others.
In 2025, a paper published in the journal Pharmacology & Therapeutics, assessed a range of clinical and preclinical findings that the efficacy of chemotherapy drugs can be enhanced by medical marijuana.
In a sign of greater acceptance of medical applications of cannabis, President Donald Trump’s choice to serve as the next White House drug czar has called medical marijuana a “fantastic” treatment option for seriously ill patients and said she doesn’t object to legalization, even if she might not personally agree with the policy.
Also last year, a study found that “patients with cancer using cannabis report significant improvements in cancer-related symptoms.”
