In recent years, cannabis has gained popularity for the treatment of chronic conditions, including inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). A recent review showed that cannabis can alleviate symptoms associated with IBD, such as abdominal pain, joint pain, abdominal cramping, and diarrhea. While cannabis may help with symptom management, it may not help with inflammation or to fundamentally correct underlying disease processes shown in limited clinical studies. These studies suggest that additional investigations are needed to further elucidate the role of cannabis in the treatment of IBD. Eventually, the role of cannabis in the treatment of IBD is a decision that will be made on a case-by-case basis, taking into account the uniqueness of each patient.
Reference:
Buckley, M. C., Kumar, A. & Swaminath, A. Inflammatory Bowel Disease and Cannabis: A Practical Approach for Clinicians. Adv Ther 38, 4152–4161 (2021). https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12325-021-01805-8
