Review
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2023. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Clin Cases. Jun 26, 2023; 11(18): 4210-4230
Published online Jun 26, 2023. doi: 10.12998/wjcc.v11.i18.4210
Should gastroenterologists prescribe cannabis? The highs, the lows and the unknowns
Sonia Samuel, Mark Michael, Micheal Tadros
Sonia Samuel, Mark Michael, Department of Internal Medicine, Albany Medical Center, Albany, NY 12208, United States
Micheal Tadros, Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Albany Medical Center, Albany, NY 12208, United States
Author contributions: Samuel S and Michael M wrote the paper; Samuel S, Michael M and Tadros M edited and revised the manuscript.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Micheal Tadros, MD, Associate Professor, Doctor, Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Albany Medical Center, 43 New Scotland Avenue, Albany, NY 12208, United States. tadrosm1@amc.edu
Received: January 10, 2023
Peer-review started: January 10, 2023
First decision: March 26, 2023
Revised: March 31, 2023
Accepted: April 14, 2023
Article in press: April 14, 2023
Published online: June 26, 2023
Processing time: 167 Days and 17.6 Hours
Core Tip

Core Tip: Cannabis is becoming increasingly popular in the management of a variety of gastrointestinal disorders due to its active role in the endocannabinoid system. It provides anti-inflammatory, anti-emetic and analgesic effects indicating its potential use in treatment and symptom control. There is rising evidence on the therapeutic efficacy and short-term safety profile of cannabis but its long term safety profile remains to be explored. Before gastroenterologists consider prescribing medical marijuana, gaining understanding of the benefits and associated risks and having an open and individualized discussion with patients are essential.