Medical students have “little knowledge” of cannabis, study finds

A new study has highlighted a need for more education around medicinal cannabis among medical students in the US.

Researchers from Nova Southeastern University and Florida Atlantic University have undertaken a qualitative study of students at a medical school in the US.

Their results found that students held “erroneous beliefs” about medical cannabis, used unreliable information sources and had a desire for more medical cannabis education in their course.

According to the paper’s authors, it is the only published qualitative study to evaluate medical students’ attitudes and beliefs towards medical students.

Eighty three participants from a school of osteopathic medicine at an unnamed university took part in several focus groups conducted in June of this year.

The study found that students held “erroneous beliefs” about medical cannabis and used unreliable sources to obtain information.

The cohort also showed mixed attitudes about legalisation and DEA reclassification of cannabis and believe there needs to be more medical cannabis education while in university.

All participants studied at the same medical school where the curriculum currently contains no training on medical cannabis.

Almost all said medical cannabis education should be part of their course and researchers agreed that medical educators should consider integrating medical cannabis content into the curriculum.

The participants said they would be “very interested” in learning about the therapeutic benefits, potential risks and adverse effects, doing recommendations and legal implications for doctors who prescribe it.

The lack of medical cannabis training in the university’s medical course was apparent to the researchers who described the manner in which participants spoke about the dangers of MC use as “unsettling” and based on “unsubstantiated authority”.

The researchers stated: “Most believed medical cannabis was highly addictive and produces serious adverse effects [such as] lung cancer, cyclic vomiting syndrome, schizophrenia, panic attacks, and cannabis-induced psychosis but were unable to identify any research to confirm that or how they even came to know this ‘fact’.

“Some called it a gateway drug to other drugs or felt that patients use cannabis to cope with stress instead of “exercising” and “making social connections.”

They went onto say that it was “equally unsettling” that many participants believed patients are not able to recognise signs of their illness and cannot be trusted, stating they could falsify applications or potentially distribute their medication to others.

They added: “These erroneous beliefs are no less than disconcerting given these students have had no formal training in medical cannabis, are not likely to receive medical cannabis education while in their medical program […] and will soon be future physicians treating patients for whom MC may be a viable option for their healthcare needs.”

Part of the reason for these false beliefs could be the students’ sources of information which, for most, was social media. Only two participants searched for information through library databases or scientific journals.

Most of the 83 participants said they supported the reclassification and legalisation of cannabis on a federal level in the US, despite the majority saying they believed medical cannabis was “highly addictive with potentially dangerous adverse effects with little published research available on its therapeutic value”.

The participants generally believed that medicinal cannabis should only be in the hands of doctors.

The authors concluded: “Laws governing medical cannabis use in the US will most likely change over time as its popularity increases. Even in states where medical cannabis is illegal, the integration of content in medical school curricula may be prudent as graduate trainees may opt for residencies in states where medical cannabis is legal.

“Research studies continue to show the efficacy for medicinal use and proper dosing as well as the potential adverse effects of use, rendering accurate education important for medical programs to ensure medical cannabis readiness in future physicians.

“Based on the results from the interviews, it was apparent that the participants have limited accurate information about medical cannabis and desire formal training while in medical school, a finding supported by previous research.”

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