“These findings revealed a significant trend suggesting support of cannabis’ therapeutic potential, particularly in managing cancer-related symptoms and possibly exerting direct anticarcinogenic effects. Across all categories examined—health metrics, cancer treatments, and cancer dynamics—there is a consistent consensus that supports the potential of medical cannabis,” the study reads.

As 39 U.S. states have legalized cannabis for medical use, and many other countries allow its use for various medical conditions, interest in its potential role in cancer treatment is growing.

In this context, the study aimed to determine whether there is a scientific consensus on the use of medical cannabis for cancer patients, including both palliative care and its potential as an anticancer treatment.

Over the years, several studies have suggested that cannabis could help ease chemotherapy side effects such as pain, nausea, and loss of appetite. It may also play a role in slowing the growth of cancer cells.

However, because cannabis remains illegal at the federal level under Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act, conducting high-quality research on its use in cancer care remains challenging. This has led to a fragmented body of evidence, with varying study designs, cannabinoid compositions, and patient populations.

Medical Cannabis Use In Chemotherapy

The researchers reviewed over 10,000 peer-reviewed studies, totaling 39,767 data points. They used sentiment analysis, a machine learning technique, to label the research findings as “supported,” “not supported,” or “unclear” about cannabis use.

Medical cannabis was consistently supported for managing pain, nausea, and appetite loss during chemotherapy. The evidence for pain relief was particularly strong, showing clear positive correlations and little negative sentiment. Nausea and appetite loss showed slightly weaker support, with some variation depending on the cannabis formulation used. Many studies emphasized cannabis’ role in alleviating chemotherapy side effects.

While some disagreements remain, most research supports using cannabis alongside standard cancer treatments. Sentiment for cannabis in chemotherapy contexts was 191.75% more likely to be positive than negative.

“This substantial difference suggests a solid consensus in favor of using medical cannabis as an adjunct to chemotherapy, highlighting its potential therapeutic role in enhancing the effectiveness or mitigating the side effects of chemotherapy,” the study reads.

One of the most promising findings is that cannabis might help inhibit tumor growth, encourage apoptosis (cell death) in cancer cells, and reduce inflammation. The topic of its anticancer effects showed no significant opposition in the literature, indicating a growing consensus, although clinical trials are still limited.

Personalized Cannabis Therapy For Cancer Treatment

Researchers acknowledged that cannabis is not a uniform substance, as its effects can change depending on the THC-to-CBD ratio, the presence of minor cannabinoids, and the type of formulation, such as full-spectrum and isolated. Different cancers, like breast, glioblastoma, and melanoma, also respond differently to cannabis treatments, highlighting the need for personalized cannabinoid therapies and more research into how cannabis affects specific cancer types.

“Future clinical trials should move beyond generic CBD-based studies to explore the full therapeutic potential of comprehensive cannabinoid formulations, incorporating THC and other cannabis-derived compounds where legally and ethically feasible,” they said.

The study, however, has some limitations. There is a lack of clinical trials, and much of the evidence comes from preclinical and observational studies. Sentiment analysis tools may also misclassify technical or neutral language.

Still, even with these limitations, the findings of this meta-analysis strongly support the use of medical cannabis in treatment.

Challenges remain, especially when it comes to standardizing formulations and focusing on specific cancer types, but the results suggest it may be time to rethink the legal and clinical status of cannabis in medicine.