medical marijuana

noun

variants or less commonly medical cannabis

: marijuana that is available only by prescription and is used to treat a variety of medical conditions (such as pain, anxiety, nausea, and glaucoma)

In the 14 states that allow medical marijuana, middle-aged baby boomers talk quite freely about filling their prescriptions at the local dispensary (of which there are nearly 1,400 in California alone).

—Eve Conant

also : any of various substances (such as cannabidiol) extracted from marijuana and used similarly

Examples of medical marijuana in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

House members in Maryland's General Assembly are weighing legislation that would allow firefighters across the state to use medical marijuana while off-duty. —Bryant Reed, CBS News, 11 Mar. 2026

Connecticut’s legal medical marijuana program did not record a single patient harmed during the 2019 vape crisis. —Rino Ferrarese, Hartford Courant, 27 Feb. 2026

Since 2014, Congress has routinely added a rider to spending bills shielding state-legal medical marijuana programs from DOJ enforcement, but the most recent update omitted Nebraska’s program even after voters approved medical cannabis reforms in 2024. —Dario Sabaghi, Forbes.com, 27 Feb. 2026

Goodblend is one of three companies authorized to sell medical marijuana in Texas, the others being Texas Original and Fluent. —Miriam Fauzia, Dallas Morning News, 14 Feb. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1976, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for medical marijuana

• ana
• bwana
• dhyana
• donna
• fauna
• gonna
• mana
• sauna
• tswana
• wanna
• asana
• chicana

Medical Definition

medical marijuana

noun

variants also medical cannabis

: marijuana that is available only by prescription and is used to treat a variety of medical conditions (as pain, anxiety, nausea, and glaucoma)

also : any of various substances (as cannabidiol) extracted from marijuana and used similarly