Trends in U.S. Medical Cannabis Registrations, Authorizing Clinicians, and Reasons for Use From 2020 to 2022

As medical cannabis availability increases, up-to-date trends in medical cannabis licensure can inform clinical policy and care.

To describe current trends in medical cannabis licensure in the United States.

Ecological study with repeated measures.

Publicly available state registry data from 2020 to 2022.

People with medical cannabis licenses and clinicians authorizing cannabis licenses in the United States.

Total patient volume and prevalence per 10 000 persons in the total population, symptoms or conditions qualifying patients for licensure (that is, patient-reported qualifying conditions), and number of authorizing clinicians.

In 2022, of 39 jurisdictions allowing medical cannabis use, 34 reported patient numbers, 19 reported patient-reported qualifying conditions, and 29 reported authorizing clinician numbers. Enrolled patients increased 33.3% from 2020 (3 099 096) to 2022 (4 132 098), with a corresponding 23.0% increase in the population prevalence of patients (175.0 per 10 000 in 2020 to 215.2 per 10 000 in 2022). However, 13 of 15 jurisdictions with nonmedical adult-use laws had decreased enrollment from 2020 to 2022. The proportion of patient-reported qualifying conditions with substantial or conclusive evidence of therapeutic value decreased from 70.4% (2020) to 53.8% (2022). Chronic pain was the most common patient-reported qualifying condition in 2022 (48.4%), followed by anxiety (14.2%) and posttraumatic stress disorder (13.0%). In 2022, the United States had 29 500 authorizing clinicians (7.7 per 1000 patients), 53.5% of whom were physicians. The most common specialties reported were internal or family medicine (63.4%), physical medicine and rehabilitation (9.1%), and anesthesia or pain (7.9%).

Missing data (for example, from California), descriptive analysis, lack of information on individual use patterns, and changing evidence base.

Enrollment in medical cannabis programs increased overall but generally decreased in jurisdictions with nonmedical adult-use laws. Use for conditions or symptoms without a strong evidence basis continues to increase. Given these trends, more research is needed to better understand the risks and benefits of medical cannabis.

National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.