Medical cannabis

Medical cannabis refers to cannabis products and cannabinoid compounds prescribed by physicians to treat symptoms of illness, administered by smoking, vaporizing, oral pills such as dronabinol and nabilone, or oromucosal liquid sprays. Evidence for its benefits is mixed and inconsistent overall, though cannabis based medicines have shown modest relief for chronic pain, particularly neuropathic pain, along with small improvements in sleep and physical function. Low quality evidence also supports its use for reducing chemotherapy related nausea, improving appetite in HIV and AIDS patients, and easing tics in Tourette syndrome, and the compound cannabidiol has regulatory approval for treating two severe forms of epilepsy. Short term use carries risks of dizziness, fatigue, vomiting, and hallucination, and the long term cognitive and addiction effects, especially in young users, remain unclear.