The majority of internists in training possess little or no knowledge about the use of cannabis for medicinal purposes, according to survey data published in the journal BMJ Primary Care.
A team of investigators with the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York surveyed a group of internal medicine residents regarding their knowledge about the medical use of marijuana.
Ninety-three percent of respondents said that they lacked adequate knowledge about cannabis’ overall effects, and 97 percent said that they lacked sufficient knowledge regarding which indications it could address. Eighty-three percent of participants said that they were “unsure where to find pertinent information,” and 92 percent agreed that education regarding cannabis should be included in their training.
Authors concluded: “To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to observe a critical lack of knowledge in MM [medical marijuana] in in-training IM [internal medicine] residents. Hence, it is worth implementing a curriculum for resident physicians that includes indications, medication interactions, and side effects of MM use.”
The findings are consistent with those of surveys of other medical professionals – including nurses, pharmacists, clinicians, and other health care practitioners – all of whom report possessing insufficient training in matters specific to medical cannabis. Separate survey data published in 2020 reported that fewer than one-in-five patients believe that their primary care providers are sufficiently knowledgeable about cannabis-specific health-related issues.