Online information on medical cannabis may rise unrealistic expectations and downplay potential side effects

There is a growing literature on the potential medical uses of Cannabis sativa and cannabinoid compounds. Although these have only been approved by regulatory agencies for few indications, there is a hype about their possible benefits in a variety of conditions and a large market in the wellness industry. As in many cases patients search for information on cannabis products online, we have analyzed the information on medical cannabis available on the Internet. Analyzing 176 webpages returned by a search engine, we found that more than half of them were news websites. Pain, epilepsy and multiple sclerosis were the most frequently therapeutic areas mentioned by the webpages, which did not always match those for which there is regulatory approval. Information was also incomplete, with only 22% of the webpages mentioning potential side effects. Health portal websites provided the most complete information. On average, 80% of webpages had a neutral stance on the potential benefits of medical cannabis, with commercial websites having more frequently a positive stance (67%). We conclude that the information that can be found online could raise unrealistic expectations regarding therapeutic areas for which science-based evidence is often still weak.