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

For years, Georgia had a low-THC program but the passage of Senate Bill 220 on July 1 expanded the program by allowing medical marijuana, which includes many THC products that are available in other states. — Will Yakowicz, Forbes.com, 17 July 2026

Carpenter also stressed that the industry has come a long way since Proposition 215, which legalized medical marijuana in California in 1996, and whose 30th anniversary is this year. — Sacbee.com, 16 July 2026

Corson said that medical marijuana could support people suffering from pain, post-traumatic stress disorder and other serious conditions, and bring in a source of tax revenue to the state. — Jack Harvel, Kansas City Star, 9 July 2026

Doctors are far behind patients in their practical knowledge of the uses of medical marijuana, and often caught flat-footed when patients bring it up. — Peter Grinspoon, STAT, 9 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1976, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for medical marijuana

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

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