The number of clinicians authorizing medical cannabis in the United States has grown 16% since 2020, according to a study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
The study found that nearly 36,000 health practitioners issued medical cannabis recommendations in 2024. A separate study published in the same journal found that about 3.9 million patients were registered in medical cannabis programs that year.
The increase in authorizing clinicians could make medical marijuana programs more accessible to patients, potentially expanding the customer base for medical cannabis businesses.
Is medical marijuana acceptance growing?
The U.S. has about 3.7 million registered medical marijuana patients, according to the 2026 MJBiz Factbook.
Patient growth varies by state, with policy changes helping drive enrollment in some markets.
Georgia’s medical cannabis registry grew by more than 22% from late June to early August after new rules that expanded qualifying conditions and allowed patients access to more cannabis products took effect July 1.
Minnesota, meanwhile, has more than 90,000 registered medical cannabis patients, a figure that’s more than doubled since the state Legislature eliminated patient fees in 2023 and expanded qualifying conditions in 2024.
“The use and efficacy of medical cannabis is becoming widely accepted among healthcare professionals and their patients,” said Paul Armentano, deputy director of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML).
“As more physicians, nurses and others integrate medical cannabis into their clinical practices, it is vital that their requisite medical associations, institutions and educational curricula similarly incorporate and embrace cannabis as a mainstream and established therapeutic option for patients.”
What’s the business case for medical marijuana?
In some states, registered medical marijuana patients can pay lower taxes than adult-use customers, providing an incentive for some consumers to remain in the medical market.
In Illinois, for example, medical cannabis is subject to a lower state sales tax and is not subject to the state’s adult-use cannabis purchaser excise tax, according to the Illinois Department of Revenue.
Federal rescheduling could give medical marijuana businesses another advantage. An April Justice Department order reclassified state-licensed medical cannabis as a Schedule 3 drug, while adult-use marijuana remains in Schedule 1.
That distinction means qualifying medical marijuana operators are no longer subject to Section 280E, which prevents businesses selling Schedule 1 or 2 substances from deducting ordinary business expenses. However, the Treasury Department has yet to issue guidance clarifying how operators should claim the relief, including how 280E applies to companies with both medical and adult-use operations.
But an increase in authorizing clinicians does not necessarily translate into more registered patients. New Jersey’s medical marijuana program, for example, fell from 129,369 registered patients in May 2022 to 46,881 by mid-May 2026 after the state launched recreational sales in April 2022.
Medical marijuana programs in Colorado, Nevada and Oregon have also experienced significant enrollment declines following the launch of adult-use sales.
