A large majority of incoming medical students surveyed want medical marijuana education incorporated into their training, while nearly six in 10 support federal marijuana rescheduling, according to a new peer-reviewed study.
The study, published today by the Journal of Cannabis Research, surveyed 250 incoming medical students during orientation. Of 304 students invited to participate, 82% completed the survey.
Researchers found that 80.4% supported adding medical marijuana content to medical school curricula, while 73.6% supported including it in residency training.
The findings come as fewer than 10% of medical school curricula include medical marijuana content, according to the researchers.
Students also expressed generally favorable views toward medical marijuana. About 76% agreed that marijuana can help patients with chronic, debilitating conditions, while 58.4% supported changing marijuana’s federal scheduling status.
At the same time, researchers found substantial gaps in students’ knowledge and confidence.
Students correctly answered 46.1% of questions concerning potential adverse effects, 53.7% of questions about medical indications and 45.4% of questions examining differences between THC and cannabidiol (CBD).
Nearly two-thirds, 61.2%, said they did not feel prepared to answer patients’ questions about medical marijuana, while 67.2% said they were unprepared to counsel patients about its use.
Personal exposure appeared to be associated with greater knowledge. About 34.4% of students reported knowing someone who used medical marijuana, and those students performed significantly better on questions concerning medical indications and differences between THC and CBD.
Researchers said the combination of relatively favorable attitudes, limited knowledge and widespread support for additional training highlights a need for more formal education.
“Incoming medical students hold largely favorable attitudes toward MC that are incongruent with their knowledge deficits,” researchers concluded, adding that the findings support “standardized, evidence-based MC education across medical training.”
The study was conducted among incoming students at a single medical school, meaning the findings may not necessarily represent medical students nationwide.
The research was conducted by investigators primarily affiliated with Wayne State University School of Medicine. Funding was provided by the school’s Office of Student Affairs, with some researcher support coming from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services and the National Institute on Drug Abuse.
