Anxiety Remains Top Qualifying Condition in Pennsylvania Medical Marijuana Program
- Anxiety disorders are the most common condition reported in Pennsylvania’s medical marijuana program, with 309,443 occurrences in 2025, showing a steady increase since 2019 when it was first added.
- Severe chronic or intractable pain is the second-most common condition, with 162,561 occurrences in 2025, slightly down from 165,740 in 2024 but still a large patient category.
- Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) ranks third, increasing from 51,368 occurrences in 2024 to 54,858 in 2025; other notable conditions include cancer, neuropathies, and opioid use disorder.
- The total condition occurrences reported in 2025 reached 596,490, up from 589,072 in 2024, with the acknowledgment that patients may have multiple qualifying conditions; Pennsylvania's medical marijuana program began in 2016 and remains medical-only.
Anxiety disorders remains the most common medical condition reported in Pennsylvania’s medical marijuana program, followed by severe chronic or intractable pain and PTSD, according to data released by the state’s Department of Health.
Anxiety disorders accounted for 309,443 occurrences in 2025, up from 300,993 in 2024 and 289,317 in 2023. The condition has ranked as the top reported qualifying condition since 2020, after being added to the program in 2019.
Severe chronic or intractable pain remained the second-most common condition, with 162,561 occurrences in 2025. That was down from 165,740 in 2024, though pain continues to represent one of the largest patient categories in the program.
Post-traumatic stress disorder was third, increasing from 51,368 occurrences in 2024 to 54,858 in 2025. Cancer, including remission therapy, was listed 14,887 times, while neuropathies accounted for 14,589 occurrences.
Other conditions listed in the 2025 data include opioid use disorder at 10,695 occurrences, inflammatory bowel disease at 5,322, epilepsy at 4,051, Crohn’s disease at 3,357, autism at 3,180 and multiple sclerosis at 3,064.
Overall, the data shows 596,490 condition occurrences in 2025, up from 589,072 in 2024. The figure does not necessarily represent unique patients, as individuals may have more than one qualifying condition listed.
Pennsylvania legalized medical marijuana in 2016, with dispensary sales beginning in 2018. The state’s program remains medical-only, although lawmakers have continued debating proposals to legalize recreational marijuana.