Knowledge, attitudes and beliefs about medical cannabis among the medical students of the Belarus State Medical University

•Majority of medical students in the Belarusian State Medial University have positive attitudes toward medical cannabis use.•Medical students express concerns about physical and mental health risks.•There is lack of formal education about medical cannabis among Medical University students. Cannabis...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Complementary therapies in medicine 2021-03, Vol.57, p.102670-102670, Article 102670
Main Authors: Khamenka, Natallia, Pikirenia, Uladzimir
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Addictive behaviors
Alcohol
Attitudes
Cannabis
Chi-square test
Chronic pain
Colleges & universities
Data collection
Education
Females
Gender
Glaucoma
Knowledge
Males
Medical cannabis
Medical education
Medical marijuana
Medical student
Medical students
Mental disorders
Mental health
Pain
Patients
Polls & surveys
Professional ethics
Statistical tests
Students
Substance abuse treatment
Training
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Summary:•Majority of medical students in the Belarusian State Medial University have positive attitudes toward medical cannabis use.•Medical students express concerns about physical and mental health risks.•There is lack of formal education about medical cannabis among Medical University students. Cannabis for medical purposes is prohibited in Belarus. Given that some countries have begun prescribing medical cannabis (MC) to certain categories of patients, a cross-sectional study was undertaken at the Belarusian State Medical University (BSMU) to determine the readiness of medical students to use cannabis in their future practice. 333 students responded to the questionnaire to find out their knowledge, attitudes and beliefs about MC. The data were analyzed using Pearson chi-squared test for categorical variables. Findings show most medical students prepared to recommend MC for patient treatment and believe it has benefits for physical or mental health purposes. The survey respondents believe MC can be effective for treatment -23.5 % for glaucoma to 76.9 % for chronic pain. Study results evidence that 83.1 % of the students receive no formal education about medical cannabis and 87.5 % believe professionals should have formal training about the substance.
ISSN:0965-2299
1873-6963
DOI:10.1016/j.ctim.2021.102670