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Ask a Doctor

Should I try medical marijuana? Here’s what to know.

Cannabis is popular for treating conditions such as nausea and chronic pain. But there is still much we don’t know about its potential long-term effects.

Advice by
Contributing columnist
December 11, 2023 at 4:00 a.m. EST
A photo illustration of a marijuana plant, with blue lines illustrated on top of it. The blue lines start out jagged and pointy, but get more fluid and wavy before they return to their jagged state.
(Washington Post illustration; Unsplash)
5 min

Q: I’m struggling to find anything that can help treat my nausea. Should I try medical marijuana? What other conditions can marijuana be helpful for?

A: As a gastroenterologist, I see many patients who suffer from nausea giving marijuana a try.

While a few cannabinoids are approved by the Food and Drug Administration for chemotherapy-induced nausea, people without cancer have found marijuana helpful — whether for unexplained nausea or for known diagnoses like gastroparesis (delayed stomach emptying).