Science & Health
Medical Marijuana Improves Symptoms And Quality Of Life For 80% Of Cancer Patients, Study Finds
Medical marijuana is “commonly” used to treat symptoms of cancer such as pain, nausea, anxiety, depression, poor appetite and sleep disturbance, according to a new study—and 80 percent of patients report that it provides relief and improved quality of life.
The study, conducted by researchers at the University of Kentucky, surveyed 237 adults receiving radiation therapy for cancer at either an urban or a rural oncology practice in Kentucky, which is described in the paper as “a unique geographical area with high endemic use of narcotics.”
About half of the patients (51 percent) reported they had used marijuana at least once in their lifetimes, with the researchers saying that “self-administration of unprescribed medicinal cannabis use was common across demographic groups and was primarily directed toward symptom management.”
“Overall, most patients in our study reported improvement in both symptoms and quality of life metrics after self-prescribed medicinal cannabis use post-cancer diagnosis.”
“All recent self-prescribed medicinal cannabis users identified symptoms precipitating cannabis use post-cancer diagnosis including nausea, fatigue, sleep problems, anxiety, stress, depression, poor appetite, pleasure seeking (high), weight loss, confusion, and desire to combat their malignancy,” the study, which was supported by the National Cancer Institute and published in the journal The Oncologist, said.
The most commonly identified symptoms precipitating cannabis use were pain nausea, anxiety and depression.
Eighty percent of patients reported feeling at least “a little better” with regard to their main identified symptom as a result of medical cannabis use, while 20 percent said there was “no change.”
With respect to questions that asked about overall quality of life, 89 percent of participants said they felt “a little better” with medical marijuana use, while 11 percent said there was “no change.”
“Users most commonly reported cannabis for pain, nausea, anxiety, depression, poor appetite, and sleep disturbance; at least 80% reported symptom and quality-of-life improvement.”
Patients who used medical marijuana, on average, had higher pain scores than those who didn’t.
“This may possibly mean some patients turn to self-prescribed medicinal cannabis use for pain relief after traditional measures have failed or they do not have sufficient and appropriate access to a physician to manage them,” the authors wrote.
Interestingly, the study found that medical cannabis use was more common among patients surveyed at the urban treatment center (21 percent) as compared to the rural one (9 percent).
“Cannabis may have a role as an adjunct for cancer-related symptoms such as pain, nausea, anxiety, and appetite loss, particularly when conventional treatments do not provide adequate relief, are poorly tolerated, or are difficult to access,” the study concluded. “We found that patients use self-prescribed medicinal cannabis to improve symptoms related to cancer itself or cancer treatment and perceive self-prescribed medicinal cannabis use as effective.”
The researchers cautioned, however, that the study has some limitations, including that it relies on self-reported date, that respondents were not racially diverse and that the survey instrument used has not been validated.
The new paper is the latest to latest to show that medical marijuana can provide relief for people struggling with cancer.
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.”
Another recent study conducted by Minnesota state officials found that medical marijuana appears to help cancer patients by decreasing pain, nausea, vomiting, anxiety and depression while also improving sleep.
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.”
