Attitudes and Knowledge of Medical Students in South of Israel Toward Medical Cannabis.

Abstract

Background: Public and medical interest in the use of cannabis has increased in Israel and the world over recent years.

Study question: The aim of the study was to assess the attitudes of medical students from the Faculty of Health Sciences of Ben-Gurion University of the Negev on the use of medical cannabis.

Study design: This is a cross-sectional study using a self-administered questionnaire completed by medical students from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel.

Measures and outcomes: Attitudes and knowledge toward the use of medical cannabis were evaluated.

Results: A total of 243 medical students participated in the study. Of these, 111 (46.1%) were from preclinical years. The mean age was 27.31 ± 3.07, and 138 (57.3%) were female students. Most students (N = 193, 79.4%) agreed to a great degree or to a very great degree that there was a role for cannabis for medical purposes. Most students thought that medical cannabis should be recommended for use by pain specialists (N = 231, 95.1%), by oncologists (N = 208, 85.6%), and by psychiatrists (N = 192, 79%). A little more than half of the participants (N = 127, 52.5%) would agree to be licensed, as future physicians, to prescribe medical cannabis. A logistic regression analysis found that the students strongly agreed with legalization of medical cannabis and students who strongly agreed that medical cannabis should be in the health basket predicted a very strong agreement about its use (OR = 2.623, P ≤ 0.002, and OR = 3.285, P ≤ 0.001, respectively).

Conclusions: Most medical students support the use of medical cannabis for medical purposes and are in favor of its legalization. As physicians of the future, it is important to assess the attitudes of medical students on medical cannabis.