Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)

Evidence-based guidelines

Guidance on the suggested use of medical cannabis for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)

This evidence-based guidance was reviewed and approved on 5/11/2021.

There is insufficient evidence to support the conclusion that medical cannabis or cannabinoids are effective or ineffective treatments for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

*Developed using level of evidence categories from the 2017 National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine report on cannabis (National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, 2017d).

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive and fatal adult neurological disease resulting from the death of anterior horn motor neurons. The cause of this disorder is not known and there is no known treatment. Very limited evidence from pre-clinical studies of ALS suggests that certain cannabinoids modestly delay disease progression and prolong survival in animal models of ALS, while the results from a very limited number of clinical studies are mixed. Due to the small number of studies and equivocal results, evidence based recommendations for the use of medical cannabis in the treatment of ALS cannot be made. However, because of the bleak prognosis for patients with ALS, a therapeutic trial of medical cannabis in patients with ALS may be reasonable.