More than 60% of mothers in Brazil who resort to cannabis medicinal use the treatment to combat chronic pain, anxiety and sleeping problems. The survey was carried out using the application, a platform for accessing phytocannabinoid treatments (cannabis medicinal). The research collected information from 7,092 patients distributed across 989 municipalities, covering the 27 units of the federation.
According to the data collected, 28.9% of registered complaints refer to problems related to sleep. Next come chronic pain, with 16.3%, and anxiety, with 14.9%. Together, these medical conditions account for 60.1% of the total demand declared by users.
The association of cannabis Traditional allopathic medicine is the most common treatment, adopted by 73% of patients. Those responsible for the application say that the results are strictly descriptive in nature, so they are not used to attest or infer definitive conclusions about the clinical effectiveness of the substances.
The consumption of cannabis by women aged 14 or over has tripled in Brazil, according to data collected by Unifesp. In 2012, only three out of every 100 adult women consumed cannabis in Brazil. In 2023, this proportion rose to 11 in every 100.
Of the total number of respondents, 50.6% declared that they had never had any contact with the plant before starting the therapeutic treatment. The age group from 45 to 64 years old accounts for 55.4% of the group evaluated. Elderly women over 65 years old account for 16.3% of cases.
In geographic terms, most of the records are located in the Southeast, with 61.6% of occurrences, while 19.7% are from the South. Regarding the socioeconomic profile, 79.9% of patients have a paid professional occupation and 75.1% regularly perform physical activities.
The platform’s representatives claim that the information collected serves to support debates on new public policies aimed at the segment. Currently, the national market estimate of active patients is 873 thousand individuals, according to the Medical Cannabis Yearbook 2025. Read the yearbook (PDF – 104 MB).
To have legal access to this type of treatment, citizens must have a medical prescription. The procedure must comply with the guidelines established by the National Health Surveillance Agency (). Supply is made through individual imports, purchases from accredited pharmacies or via associations that have judicial authorization.
