Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42231518›Full record

SynthesisJournal of cannabis research2026

Effectiveness of THC-containing cannabis for inflammatory bowel disease: a systematic review.

Sebastian Jugl, Silvia Perez-Vilar, Steven Galati, Sukhminder K Sandhu, Hung-Kai Chen, Shao-Hsuan Chang, Yehua Wang, Thorben Kurzbach, Lauren Adkins, Jingchuan Guo and 3 more

Abstract readSystematic Review
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Journal of cannabis research, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

13 authors.

Sebastian JuglDepartment of Pharmaceutical Outcomes and Policy, University of Florida, 6018 Malachowsky Hall, Gainesville, FL, 32611, USA.
Silvia Perez-VilarCenter for Drug Evaluation and Research, US Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, MD, USA.
Steven GalatiCenter for Drug Evaluation and Research, US Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, MD, USA.
Sukhminder K SandhuCenter for Drug Evaluation and Research, US Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, MD, USA.
Hung-Kai ChenDepartment of Pharmaceutical Outcomes and Policy, University of Florida, 6018 Malachowsky Hall, Gainesville, FL, 32611, USA.
Shao-Hsuan ChangDepartment of Pharmaceutical Outcomes and Policy, University of Florida, 6018 Malachowsky Hall, Gainesville, FL, 32611, USA.
Yehua WangDepartment of Pharmaceutical Outcomes and Policy, University of Florida, 6018 Malachowsky Hall, Gainesville, FL, 32611, USA.
Thorben KurzbachDepartment of Pharmaceutical Outcomes and Policy, University of Florida, 6018 Malachowsky Hall, Gainesville, FL, 32611, USA.
Lauren AdkinsHealth Science Center Libraries, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA.
Jingchuan GuoDepartment of Pharmaceutical Outcomes and Policy, University of Florida, 6018 Malachowsky Hall, Gainesville, FL, 32611, USA.
Yan WangConsortium for Medical Marijuana Clinical Outcomes Research, Gainesville, FL, USA.
Almut G WintersteinDepartment of Pharmaceutical Outcomes and Policy, University of Florida, 6018 Malachowsky Hall, Gainesville, FL, 32611, USA.
Amie GoodinDepartment of Pharmaceutical Outcomes and Policy, University of Florida, 6018 Malachowsky Hall, Gainesville, FL, 32611, USA. amie.goodin@ufl.edu.

Funding

U.S. Food and Drug Administration 75F40123F19008
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundPatients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) increasingly use cannabis. Studies investigating the effectiveness and safety of cannabis as a therapeutic option for IBD have reported conflicting findings, and recent reviews have not incorporated evidence from real-world studies. This systematic review assessed controlled non-interventional studies and interventional trials evaluating the effectiveness of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)-containing cannabis products in patients with IBD.

methodsThe systematic review procedures-including search strategy across four databases, literature screening, data extraction, qualitative result synthesis, and risk of bias assessment-followed the Cochrane Handbook and adhered to PRISMA-compliant reporting. We used the GRADE approach to rate evidence quality for each outcome. INCLUSION CRITERIA: peer-reviewed research on effectiveness or safety of cannabis as treatment modality, control group must be present, quantitative measure of effect/safety on IBD. EXCLUSION CRITERIA: published before 2000, non-English, non-human research, non-cannabis/THC exposures, < 0.3% THC exposure, topical formulations.

resultsFour randomized clinical trials (RCTs), and four non-interventional studies met all inclusion criteria. Non-interventional studies exhibited serious or critical risk of bias, leading to their exclusion from evidence ratings. The four RCTs demonstrated high risk of bias, although their evidence quality ratings varied. RCTs assessed adverse events; however, limited safety information was provided. Improvements in one trial were reported for bloating (n = 56) and appetite (n = 56), both rated as low evidence quality. Results for clinical disease activity scores (4 trials, n = 180), daily function, general well-being, general effect on health (1 trial, n = 56), bowel movement frequency (3 trials, n = 148), generic quality of life (3 trials, n = 122) and pain (2 trials, n = 88) were mixed. The outcomes of remission (3 trials, n = 150), weight (1 trial, n = 56), IBDQ (1 trial, n = 60), endoscopic scores (2 trials, n = 88), and nausea (1 trial, n = 56), consistently failed to differ meaningfully between intervention and control. The evidence quality rating for these null or inconclusive results varied from low to medium, with the exception of weight, rated as high, though no effect was reported.

conclusionsCurrent evidence is inconclusive as to whether THC-containing cannabis products might have a positive effect in IBD, given heterogenous findings and mostly low-to-moderate evidence quality. Higher quality cannabis research is needed given widespread utilization.

trial registrationPROSPERO: CRD42023411910.

Indexed as

Crohn’s DiseaseDelta-9-tetrahydrocannabinolInflammatory Bowel DiseaseMedical CannabisMedical MarijuanaUlcerative Colitis

Identifiers

PMID42231518
PMCPMC13455333

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.