Cancer patients using medical cannabis described overwhelming dispensary product variety, imprecise dosing, frequent product switching, and a disconnect between what's available and what oncologists recommend.
Oncologists whose patients use medical cannabis, cancer patients navigating dispensary products, medical cannabis program designers.
What the researchers found
Through interviews with 24 cancer patients using medical cannabis across 8 states, researchers documented the lived experience of navigating cannabis therapeutics during cancer care.
A dominant theme was the sheer number of product formulations available at dispensaries, which triggered feelings of astonishment and burden rather than empowerment. Patients responded with various coping strategies: purchasing and sampling multiple products, modifying dispensary products at home, and altering intended routes of administration to suit their needs.
Preferred products were not consistently available — a supply chain problem that forced patients to repeatedly adapt. Dosing imprecision was another recurring challenge, with patients struggling to achieve consistent therapeutic effects.
Patients used a wide range of administration routes. Oral was most common, followed by topical, sublingual, vaporization, combustion, and rectal suppository. Three-quarters of participants alternated between multiple modes of administration, often based on symptom type and severity.
The findings highlighted a scientific disconnect: the ways patients actually use medical cannabis bear little resemblance to what oncologists tend to recommend or what clinical trials evaluate.
Why it matters
One in three cancer patients uses medical cannabis, but clinical guidance is minimal. This study reveals that patients are essentially conducting their own uncontrolled experiments — sampling products, modifying doses, switching routes — without standardized frameworks. The disconnect between patient practices and oncologist preferences creates a clinical communication gap that could affect safety and efficacy.
The numbers in context
24 patients, mean age 54, 67% female, 51% metastatic disease. 8 states represented. Most common route: oral. 75% alternated between multiple administration routes. Routes used: oral, topical, sublingual, vaporization, combustion, rectal suppository.
How the study worked
Qualitative study using semistructured interviews with 24 cancer patients consuming medical cannabis across 8 US states. Thematic analysis applied to interview transcripts. Explored formulation preferences, administration routes, dosing practices, and barriers to consistent use.
Who was studied
N=24 cancer patients aged 30-80, 67% female, from 8 US states
What this study cannot tell us
Small qualitative sample (N=24) not generalizable to all cancer patients. Recruited patients who were already using medical cannabis, missing those who tried and stopped or never started. Self-selected population may overrepresent engaged, motivated patients. Cross-sectional interviews capture a snapshot, not the full trajectory of cannabis use during cancer care.
How to read the evidence
Qualitative interview study — provides rich insight into patient experiences but cannot be generalized to broader populations or quantify outcomes.
When this study was published
Published in 2026, capturing the current state of medical cannabis navigation by cancer patients across multiple US states.
The bigger picture
This qualitative perspective contextualizes the quantitative therapeutic evidence reviewed in JAMA (RTHC-00250) and the pharmacokinetic data (RTHC-00246). While reviews and trials evaluate standardized products under controlled conditions, actual patients are navigating a fragmented marketplace with inconsistent product availability, variable potency, and limited clinical guidance. The CBD bioavailability findings (RTHC-00246 showing 3x food effect) are directly relevant — most patients likely don't know that meal timing dramatically affects absorption.
Replication
Not stated in abstract.
Funding
Not reported in abstract.
Conflicts of interest
Not reported in abstract.
Questions still open
- Would standardized dosing guides improve outcomes for cancer patients using medical cannabis? Can dispensaries be better integrated into the oncology care team? Do patients who modify dispensary products at home face additional safety risks from inconsistent preparation?
Read the original research
Medical Cannabis Formulations, Administration Routes, and Dosing: Perspectives of Patients With Cancer Who Consume.
Clinical therapeutics, 48(1), 51-56
Clinical Therapeutics is a peer-reviewed journal known for publishing high-quality research on therapeutic interventions.
Citation
Nayak, Manan M; Chai, Peter R; Tung, Stephanie; Revette, Anna; Braun, Ilana M. (2026). Medical Cannabis Formulations, Administration Routes, and Dosing: Perspectives of Patients With Cancer Who Consume.. Clinical therapeutics, 48(1), 51-56. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clinthera.2025.11.004
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