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There is little to no research to support the supposed benefits of medical cannabis, and what evidence exists suggests that using marijuana as medicine may do more harm than good, family doctors’ associations across Canada are telling their members.

A trio of advisories prepared by the Alberta College of Family Physicians has been distributed to more than 32,000 clinicians, summarizing the scientific literature, or lack thereof, around medicinal marijuana.

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“One thing that was quite consistent was adverse events,” said Dr. Mike Allan, a professor of family medicine at the University of Alberta. “And the benefits, even if they’re real, are much smaller than what people might anticipate.”

Allan co-ordinates the college’s biweekly updates, “Tools for Practice,” which focus on topical issues and are circulated through professional chapters in every province except Quebec and Newfoundland and Labrador.