[Cannabis and medicine students : who, how and why ?]

Abstract

Introduction: Cannabis is the third most commonly used substance by students. The aim of this study is to describe cannabis use among medical students and understand their motivations. It seeks to establish the link between cannabis and higher education, especially in medicine.

Materials and methods: 202 students from the UMons and ULB universities (Belgium) took part in the study. They completed an anonymous online questionnaire. Their answers were cleaned before analysis.

Results: 52% of the students declared they had never used cannabis. The time of first use was most often secondary school. Evenings out with friends and improvement falling asleep were the two most common reasons for using cannabis. The participants attributed little benefit to cannabis use in terms of managing their studies. Medical studies may have an impact on cannabis use.

Conclusion: The prevalence of cannabis use appears to be higher among medical students than in the general population, yet few measures are in place to raise their awareness. This study aims to open up the debate on cannabis use among students, especially in the medical school.