Medical Marijuana: An Overview for Obstetricians/Gynecologists

Abstract

As of May 2021, 36 states and four territories have approved medical cannabis laws and 17 states, two territories, and the District of Columbia, have approved adult use recreational cannabis laws. Currently, most of the USA is covered by medical cannabis laws in one form or another, so, as with other therapeutics, it behooves us as caregivers to become educated on what cannabis is, how it is given, who is a candidate for treatment, and more importantly, who is not a candidate for treatment. Numerous studies have documented that our caregivers are ill prepared to counsel and utilize cannabis products in our patient populations, considering that approximately 2.5% of the worlds population uses cannabis, including 9% of eighth graders and 35% of 12th graders in the USA, as well as 7% of pregnant women. This is a basic expert review of the endocannabinoid system in humans, cannabis constituents and pharmacology, routes of administration, medical cannabis uses, and cautions, designed to address the educational deficits documented by learner analysis of providers.

J Clin Gynecol Obstet. 2022;11(1):1-8
doi: https://doi.org/10.14740/jcgo757