A study published Tuesday in the Annals of Internal Medicine found that the number of clinicians authorized to approve medical cannabis in the U.S. was more than 35,000 in 2024. The same study found that the number of state-approved medical cannabis caregivers was nearly 110,000.
Researchers from the University of Michigan collected publicly available data from state medical cannabis programs between 2020 and 2024. They used the data to estimate the number of clinicians authorized to approve medical cannabis use and the number of registered caregivers.
The number of clinicians permitted to authorize medical cannabis use for patients was about 29,500 in 2020. That figure increased to more than 35,000 four years later.
The study is believed to be the first to estimate the number of medical cannabis caregivers in the U.S.
The researchers found higher caregiver rates in states that allow home cultivation of medical cannabis. They also found higher caregiver rates in states with adult-use programs.
The study found a large gap between the number of caregivers and the number of authorizing clinicians. According to the researchers, there were approximately 3-fold higher number and 4-fold higher rate of caregivers per patient than authorizing clinicians.
“Overall, there were approximately 3-fold higher number and 4-fold higher rate of caregivers per patient than authorizing clinicians. This may reflect caregivers’ direct involvement in medical cannabis care, as they can purchase, grow, and produce cannabis for patients services that authorized clinicians cannot legally provide,” the researchers wrote in “U.S. Authorizing Clinicians and Medical Cannabis Caregivers: 2020-2024,” published in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
The estimates were drawn entirely from publicly available state program records.
The study provides a national count of two groups involved in medical cannabis access. It counted both the clinicians who authorize patient use and the caregivers who supply cannabis to patients.
The variation across states was tied to specific program features. Home cultivation policies and adult-use programs were both associated with higher caregiver rates.
The study was published on September 29 in the Annals of Internal Medicine. It is based on data collected between 2020 and 2024.
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