Use of cannabis and cannabinoids in palliative care setting

Cannabis products have been used for various ailments since ancient times. But their use diminished in the medical community due to the legal and social concerns of substance abuse. With evolving evidence of their use in alleviating various symptoms, resurgence of interest in their medicinal use is seen in the past decade.

Clinical evidence for cannabis products in treating various ailments has been far from robust. Their use is based on anecdotal and low-quality evidence. This review attempts to revisit the recent medical literature available on the merits and demerits of cannabinoid use in palliative medicine.

A few symptoms in palliative care setting can be difficult to treat in a few patients with the available treatment measures. Anecdotal reports and early clinical data have proved cannabinoids to be a promising pharmacological option in managing this subset of patients. However, absence of robust clinical data in proving that cannabinoids have definitely favorable risk-benefit ratio, precludes the inclusion of cannabinoids in the routine recommendation for palliative symptom management. Before cannabinoids enter the broader market with patient-driven and industry-driven hype, high-quality clinical evidence is emergently needed.