It's likely that in order to justify legalized use of marijuana for these disorders, marijuana would have to be demonstrated to either be superior to existing drugs, or to have an additive effect with existing drugs in patients who do not respond well to those other drugs. The current status of research concerning the effectiveness of smoked marijuana is nicely presented in the Summary of the Report on the Medical Uses of Marijuana . Clinical studies and survey data in healthy populations have shown a strong relationship between marijuana use and increased eating. Marijuana is reported to increase food enjoyment and the number of times individuals eat per day. Mechanistic studies of marijuana on taste and satiety have shown that it does not affect taste or produce a collapse of normal satiety mechanisms.
Food intake associated with marijuana use is influenced by the social setting.
Dronabinol is approved for the treatment of anorexia in patients with AIDS-associated weight loss. Dronabinol is currently marketed in the United States for the stimulation of appetite in AIDS patients. The effects of smoked marijuana on cachexia associated with AIDS or cancer would need to be determined. Marijuana seems to enhance appetite in the evening, whereas many cancer patients report having most of their appetite in morning. This would suggest a potential complementary use of marijuana.