# Disease Stage Timeline Diagram

> **Author:** Benjamin Caplan, MD (ABFM Board Certified, MA Lic. #240562, NPI: 1962722637)
> **Publisher:** CED Clinic (https://cedclinic.com)
> **Canonical URL:** https://cedclinic.com/d60disease-progression-and-medical-cannabis-png/
> **Published:** 2026-09-04T23:01:12-04:00 | **Last Modified / Clinically Audited:** 2026-09-13T14:38:38-04:00
> **Clinical Summary:** How the effects of THC and CBD change across early, moderate, and advanced disease stages, with a comparison table and summary notes.

---

[← Back to the Side Effects Summary Hub](https://cedclinic.com/topic-side-effects-diagrams/)Diagram & referenceA visual reference. The evidence, sources and clinical interpretation are in the linked article.About this diagramA two track flowchart with a time arrow running down the left edge. Both tracks start from the same early stage box and then split, with the path labeled without medical cannabis reaching moderate and then advanced stage high on the right, and the path labeled medical cannabis reaching those same two stages much further down the page. Read vertical distance as elapsed time, so the left track depicts the same stages being reached later. The diagram illustrates a proposed pattern and displays no trial data.The evidence behind it[Read the evidence: what cannabis trials have measured, and why relief is not the same as slowing a disease](https://cedclinic.com/cannabis-and-disease-progression-symptom-relief/)That article carries the cited studies, the limits of the evidence, and the clinical interpretation.

---

### Verification & Medical Governance

- **Lead Clinical Author:** Benjamin Caplan, MD
- **Credentials:** Board Certified in Family Medicine (ABFM), Former CMO Canna Care Docs (250,000+ patients supervised), Founder & CMO CED Clinic & CED Foundation, Author of *The Doctor-Approved Cannabis Handbook* (Penguin Random House).
- **Clinical Scale:** 350,000+ lifetime evaluations overseen; 81,008-patient Real-World Evidence Registry (`~/.ced_rwe_vault.db`); 125,000+ peer-reviewed study literature observatory (`http://localhost:8768/api/explorer/terminal`).
- **License Verification:** Commonwealth of Massachusetts License #240562 (https://checkahealthlicense.mass.gov/).
- **NPI Registry:** 1962722637 (https://npiregistry.cms.hhs.gov/provider-view/1962722637).
- **Ethics & Data Privacy:** Clinical registry observations adhere strictly to HIPAA Safe Harbor de-identification (45 CFR § 164.514(b)) and criteria for secondary research exemption under 45 CFR § 46.104(d)(4).