Overview

Cannabis, also called weed or marijuana, is made from the dried leaves and buds of the Cannabis sativa plant. Other names for cannabis include pot or dope. But the preferred name is cannabis. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration, also called the FDA, hasn't approved the use of the cannabis plant as medicine. But many states have made it legal to use cannabis. People sometimes use cannabis to treat health conditions. This is known as medical cannabis, also called medical marijuana.

Cannabis contains chemicals called cannabinoids, which are the active compounds. There are more than 100 active compounds in cannabis. The most common cannabinoids are delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol, also called THC, and cannabidiol, also called CBD. The THC in cannabis may change how a person thinks and feels. This change is known as a psychoactive effect. There are many other minor cannabinoids found in the plant that are being studied for medical use.

The FDA has approved three medicines that have chemicals found in cannabis. These medicines include dronabinol (Marinol) and nabilone (Cesamet). Healthcare professionals may prescribe them to help people with serious nausea and vomiting caused by medicines used to treat cancer, called chemotherapy. Some people with medical conditions that cause low appetite may take dronabinol to help them feel hungry.

The FDA also has approved a purified liquid form of cannabidiol (Epidiolex). Cannabidiol, also called CBD, is a chemical found in cannabis. Healthcare professionals prescribe this medicine to treat rare conditions that cause seizures in children, such as Lennox-Gastaut syndrome and Dravet syndrome.

Medical cannabis can be taken in many ways. It can be inhaled, taken by mouth as an edible or tincture, placed on the skin, or applied in a skin patch, also called transdermal.

People may use cannabis to treat nausea and vomiting caused by cancer treatment, appetite loss, epilepsy, chronic pain, problems sleeping and muscle spasms.