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

Recreational weed is now legal in 24 states, including New York, with medical marijuana permitted in 14 others. —Karu F. Daniels, New York Daily News, 13 Dec. 2024

If the cannabis backers and voters win the civil suit, medical marijuana should start by the end of 2025. —Tribune Content Agency, The Mercury News, 14 Nov. 2024

Recreational marijuana was on the ballot in North Dakota, South Dakota and Florida, and medical marijuana was up for a vote in Nebraska. —Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 6 Nov. 2024

Currently, sales are only happening at dispensaries that already sold medical marijuana, but the state is in the process of licensing new recreational dispensaries. —Sam Allard, Axios, 4 Nov. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1976, in the meaning defined above

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