FRIDAY, May 10, 2019 (HealthDay News) — Health professionals are generally supportive of medicinal cannabis use but report a lack of knowledge about its use, according to a review published online May 6 in PLOS ONE.
Kyle M. Gardiner, B.Pharm., from the Queensland University of Technology in Brisbane, Australia, and colleagues conducted a systematic literature review to identify studies evaluating the beliefs, knowledge, and concerns of health professionals regarding medicinal cannabis.
Based on the 26 included studies, the researchers found that health professionals generally supported the use of medicinal cannabis in practice. However, health professionals across medicine, pharmacy, and nursing unanimously self-report a lack of knowledge surrounding all aspects of medicinal cannabis, ranging from pharmacology and dosing to the legislation of access, distribution, and supply. Additionally, health professionals also reported concern regarding direct patient harms and indirect societal harms.
“There is a fundamental difference between being supportive of medicinal cannabis and being directly responsible for its delivery,” Gardiner said in a statement. “More research is needed in this area.”
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