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Study Says Doctors Still Reluctant to Prescribe Medical Cannabis

Flickr Creative Commons/Neeta Lind

A new study from the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston finds that while nearly half of all U.S. oncologists recommend medical marijuana, most feel they lack knowledge about its medicinal use.

That means many cancer patients -- like Springfield resident Larry Lenkart  -- must use trial-and-error to figure out how to use cannabis to manage the side effects of chemotherapy.

“Nausea from the chemo is unbelievable all the time, feeling like you’re going to throw up. The marijuana really helps on nausea, it’s really helped on me keeping my weight. It just makes you more comfortable.”

The study found most conversations about medical marijuana are initiated by patients. And whether the doctor worked in a state with a medical marijuana law did not seem to affect his or her willingness to recommend it.

The study was published today in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

Thirty states have medical cannabis laws in place - including Illinois, where cancer is among the qualifying conditions.