Study Finds 94% of Nursing Students Support Legalizing Medical Marijuana

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A significant majority of nursing students believe that patients should have legal access to medical marijuana, yet many report a lack of adequate training on the subject during their education, according to a recent survey published in the journal Nurse Practitioner.

Researchers from Simmons College in Boston conducted a survey of over 100 nurse practitioner (NP) students. Researchers found that most students (94%) felt that medical marijuana (MM) should be legalized in all US states. Likewise, 97% felt that MM education should be included in NP program curricula.

However, researchers found that “only 30% reported receiving in-depth education on the topic.”

Participants were asked to identify, among 18 provided medical conditions, those which were approved indications for MM use; accurate response rate was low, though cancer, pain, cachexia, nausea/vomiting, posttraumatic stress disorder, and epilepsy were identified correctly as indications by more than half of participants.”

Previous MM use and religious affiliation “had an impact on knowledge and perceptions of MM.”

The study concludes:

With an increasing number of states legalizing MM, NP programs must evaluate their current curricula and integrate content that addresses the gap in knowledge of MM mechanism of action, indications, and adverse reactions.

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