Abstract
Cannabis use is rapidly growing among people with disabilities in the United States of America despite a lack of rigorous evidence on safety and efficacy. While the benefits of medical cannabis for adults with disabilities include managing chronic pain or reducing anxiety, it can lead to adverse effects such as cannabis use disorder and harmful drug interactions. However, the perceived risk of harm from weekly cannabis use remains low for most adults with disabilities. Further research is needed to better understand its long-term health effects, establish safe dosage guidelines, and ensure its responsible and effective use among adults with disabilities. The inconsistency of US policy between strict federal regulations and state medical cannabis laws complicates the ability to conduct large-scale human clinical trials and discourages such research from occurring. Relaxing US federal regulations would expand the body of rigorous evidence on the safety and efficacy of medical cannabis. However, clinical trials should include people with disabilities to assess differential impacts on outcomes, including pain management.