Attitudes and beliefs of medicine and social work students about medical cannabis use for epilepsy

Public perception of guilt and deserved punishment in medical cannabis diversion

INTRODUCTION

Illegal drug diversion is a well-documented social problem that has received little research attention, despite the growing use of medical cannabis (MC) worldwide. This study examines public attitudes towards the punishment of MC diversion in Israel.

METHOD

We used a quantitative method. Participants were 399 Israelis who were given five scenarios of MC diversion to persons with and without a licence, with and without payment, and for personal profit.

RESULTS

Respondents' attitudes differed with respect to the guilt and deserved punishment of the traffickers as a function of whether the recipient did or did not have a licence and did or did not pay for the MC. Transfers to individuals without a licence and for payment were judged more harshly than those to individuals without payment, whether or not they had a licence.

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION

The discussion addresses the findings with reference to Kohlberg's moral development theory. The findings of the study attest to the importance of public attitudes in shaping legal policy in Israel.

Medical Students’ Attitudes, Knowledge, and Beliefs about Medical Cannabis: A Qualitative Descriptive Study

Background

There has been increased attention given to understanding the uses of medical cannabis (MC) for symptom management of various medical conditions. Physicians receive minimal training in medical school and rely mostly on anecdotal evidence; by proxy, medical students generally do receive formal training in MC. It is unknown how medical students perceive MC, including its efficacy, appropriateness in medicine, its possible adverse effects, and its value for patients. This study investigated medical students’ perceived knowledge, beliefs, and attitudes toward MC to better understand their knowledge about and attitudes toward MC. 

Method

Using a semi-structured interview guide, eight focus groups were conducted with 83 medical students via Zoom virtual meeting platform (Zoom Video Communications, Inc., San Jose, California, United States) in June 2022. The interviews were guided by the following content areas: (1) beliefs about cannabis' therapeutic utility, (2) perceived knowledge about MC, (3) the role of the physician regarding MC, (4) concern for cannabis’ adverse effects, and (5) MC education in the school curriculum. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis, an iterative, systematic process of coding patterns, and emerged themes in the interview data to explore medical students’ perceptions about MC. Themes were validated based on whether each theme captured distinct parts of the interview data and whether their content cohered meaningfully.

Results

Four themes emerged from the focus group interviews investigating medical students’ perceptions of MC: (1) erroneous beliefs about MC, (2) unreliable sources of information, (3) mixed attitudes toward legalization, and (4) desire for MC education while in medical school. Attitudes regarding MC in general, including legalization, varied by United States state of origin of the student and exposure to MC (e.g., use by family member). 

Conclusion

MC seems to be a significant issue for medical trainees who might be required to recommend it to patients and manage coexisting therapies. Cultivating new knowledge about students’ perceptions and perceived knowledge about medicinal options and dosing of MC is critical for medical educators as they design undergraduate curricular initiatives for future physicians.

Exploratory Factor Analysis of Medical Students’ Perceptions of Medical Cannabis Scale

Background

There are few published research articles investigating medical students’ perceptions of medical cannabis (MC), including their attitudes toward its efficacy and appropriateness in medicine, concerns for potential adverse effects, and their willingness to prescribe it to patients (in future practice). This research investigated the factor structure of a tool to assess medical students’ perceptions of MC for the purpose of curriculum enhancement.

Methods

Using a voluntary electronic survey, quantitative data were collected between January and March 2022 from 526 medical students enrolled in a large medical school in Florida, United States. A 32-item questionnaire developed by the researchers was used to investigate medical students’ perceptions of MC. The survey was anonymous and took about 10 minutes to complete. Bivariate correlation analyses were conducted prior to performing a principal component analysis with varimax rotation.

Results

Using principal component analysis with varimax rotation, three factors were identified with eigenvalues greater than 1.0 and a cumulative variance of 59.694%. These factors are perceived knowledge of MC, concern for possible adverse effects of MC (e.g., the potential for misuse/dependence), and attitudes toward MC (e.g., cannabis having an acceptable role in medicine, willingness (as a future physician) to help patients access MC, obtaining training about MC in school and residency training, the physician’s role as a prescriber, and efficacy and benefits of MC for certain health conditions).

Conclusions

The development of this kind of brief measure may be valuable for defining the future educational needs of medical students and other health professionals as well as a tool for future research.

Predictors of Medical Students’ Perceptions About Medical Cannabis

Background: There has been a recent uptick in interest regarding the therapeutic properties of cannabis. Evidence exists to support the role of medical cannabis (MC) in chronic illness management for conditions such as posttraumatic stress, pain, and cancer. The majority of physicians in the United States report not knowing how to prescribe or answer questions about MC and receive minimal education about it during training. As MC becomes more socially acceptable with federal legalization in process, new physicians will encounter patients looking for information on the utility and safety of MC. The goal of this research was thus to assess the perceived knowledge, beliefs, and perceptions of medical students towards MC, and to obtain a better understanding of factors that may influence their attitudes.

Methods: A descriptive, cross-sectional study design was used to investigate the medical students’ knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions regarding MC. Quantitative data were collected from 526 medical students (years one to four) via an anonymous, online, 32-item questionnaire to determine if perceived knowledge, concerns about the potential negative effects of cannabis, and certain beliefs would significantly contribute to their attitudes toward MC. Hypothesis testing was conducted using Spearman-rank order correlation and multivariate linear regression analyses.

Results: A statistically significant regression equation was found: (F(4, 428)=114.826, p<.001 with an R²=0.518 [adjusted R² =0.513]) indicating greater perception of knowledge about MC, lower concern for possible negative effects of MC use, greater belief in federal legalization of MC, and greater belief in the federal legalization of recreational cannabis significantly contributed to a higher score on positive attitudes and perceptions toward MC. Moreover, while many participants reported physicians should be able to prescribe MC, they reported that little if any MC education had been provided.

Conclusions: This study identified the knowledge, concerns, and perceptions of medical students regarding MC as well as several factors contributing to their attitudes about it. Favorable attitudes toward MC among patients exist and as its popularity and acceptance among patients continue, more may be asking their physicians about symptomatic and curative treatment with cannabis-based products. Results from this research have the potential to assist medical educators in understanding students’ perceptions about MC to help guide innovative and contemporary curricular advances as a public health imperative.