Condition guides

What are you managing?

There's no fixed list of conditions that qualify in New Zealand — a doctor decides case by case. Each guide below shows how strong the evidence really is. We don't overstate it: many areas are mixed, limited or insufficient, and we say so.

Last reviewed 15 June 2026 · Education, not medical advice

Strong evidenceModerate evidenceMixed evidenceLimited evidenceEmerging evidenceInsufficient evidence

Strong evidenceNeurological

Epilepsy (Dravet & Lennox-Gastaut)

The strongest evidence of any indication — for purified CBD as add-on therapy in specific rare, treatment-resistant childhood epilepsies.

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Strong evidenceCancer & palliative

Chemotherapy-induced nausea & vomiting

Strong evidence that THC-based medicines reduce refractory chemotherapy nausea and vomiting, used as a second- or third-line add-on.

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Moderate evidenceNeurological

Multiple sclerosis (MS) spasticity

Moderate evidence for nabiximols (Sativex) on patient-reported MS spasticity. Sativex is Medsafe-approved and any NZ doctor can prescribe it.

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Mixed evidencePain

Chronic non-cancer pain

The most common reason NZ patients ask about medical cannabis — but the evidence shows a large base with only a small, inconsistent effect.

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Mixed evidenceMental health

Anxiety disorders

Mixed evidence for CBD, with an unusual dose-response. THC can make anxiety worse — careful, individualised prescribing matters most here.

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Limited evidencePain

Neuropathic pain

Limited, low-quality evidence with a striking harm signal — reserved behind standard nerve-pain medicines.

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Limited evidenceOther

Sleep & insomnia

Limited, emerging evidence. Subjective sleep improvements are driven by THC products; CBD-only showed no significant effect.

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Limited evidenceCancer & palliative

Appetite stimulation & cachexia

Divergent evidence: limited but positive in HIV/AIDS wasting; insufficient in cancer cachexia, where the best trial showed no benefit.

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Limited evidenceCancer & palliative

Palliative care (general)

Limited, low-quality evidence across symptoms. Used as an adjunctive, symptom-directed, individualised therapy within a clinical team.

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Limited evidenceOther

Inflammatory bowel disease (Crohn's, colitis)

Limited evidence: may improve symptoms and quality of life, but NOT objective inflammation. Must never replace disease-modifying therapy.

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Limited evidencePain

Fibromyalgia

Limited, insufficient evidence with poor tolerability. An adjunct only, after standard approaches like exercise and CBT.

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Emerging evidencePain

Endometriosis & chronic pelvic pain

Emerging, observational-only evidence. Surveys report self-reported pain relief, but there are no RCTs specific to endometriosis.

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Emerging evidenceNeurological

Migraine & headache

Emerging evidence from mostly observational data. Controlled trials are only now beginning; watch for medication-overuse headache.

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Emerging evidenceNeurological

Tourette syndrome

Emerging evidence from small adult trials showing a tic-reduction signal — but the data are adult-only and do not generalise to children.

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Insufficient evidenceNeurological

Parkinson's disease

Insufficient evidence for motor symptoms; emerging for selected non-motor outcomes like quality of life. Higher risk in older patients.

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Insufficient evidenceMental health

PTSD & trauma

Insufficient evidence. High-quality reviews found cannabis did not reduce PTSD symptoms; it should not displace trauma-focused therapy.

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This is general information, not medical advice. Only a registered New Zealand doctor can decide whether medicinal cannabis is right for you.