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News
Medical cannabis may not be the sleep fix many hope for. A new Cochrane meta-analysis found that medical cannabis had little to no meaningful effect on sleep quality, total sleep time, or daytime functioning in adults with insomnia — and it was linked to a notable uptick in adverse events compared to placebo. Researchers stress the evidence is too weak to draw firm conclusions either way.
A comprehensive Cochrane meta-analysis has raised serious questions about medical cannabis as a reliable treatment for insomnia. Analyzing nine randomized controlled trials involving 537 adults, researchers found that cannabis produced little to no clinically meaningful improvement in sleep quality, total sleep time, or daytime functioning compared to placebo — and the overall quality of evidence was rated very low.
The picture isn't entirely clear-cut. While cannabis showed a potential signal for improved quality of life, the findings were inconclusive. More concerning: participants using medical cannabis were significantly more likely to experience adverse events than those on placebo.
By the Numbers:
Why it matters: With medical cannabis use on the rise for sleep complaints, this review is a timely reality check for both patients and clinicians. The takeaway isn't that cannabis definitively doesn't work — it's that the current evidence simply isn't strong enough to recommend it for insomnia. Better-designed, larger trials are needed before cannabis earns a place in standard sleep treatment protocols.
