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

The state had previously legalized medical marijuana use in 2008. —Jenna Prestininzi, Freep.com, 19 Dec. 2025

At present, only medical marijuana is legal in Pennsylvania. —Ricky Sayer, CBS News, 19 Dec. 2025

The order would ease regulatory hurdles for cannabis’s use for research purposes, which would likely boost efforts to study the drug and develop medical marijuana products. —Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 18 Dec. 2025

By making medical marijuana more accessible, healthcare providers are also hopeful that patients will discuss the risks and benefits and especially what is known about how marijuana may interact with other medications or supplements. —Selina Wang, ABC News, 18 Dec. 2025

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