Abstract
BackgroundOhio’s medical cannabis program is one of three states that require physicians to become certified to recommend medical cannabis to their patients. The current study examines the attitudes of Ohio physicians toward medical cannabis and Ohio’s program to ascertain how likely physicians are to participate in Ohio’s program.MethodsPhysicians were invited to complete an internet survey that asked them about their concerns regarding medical marijuana, Ohio’s program, their likelihood of recommending medical cannabis, and becoming certified within the state. Ordinal and logistic regressions were used to understand the physicians’ likelihood of recommending cannabis, of becoming certified to recommend cannabis, and their attitude toward Ohio’s program.ResultsIn total, 11,665 physicians licensed to practice in Ohio were contacted by email, and 344 responses were received for a response rate of 2.9%. Only 42 physicians reported being certified or had plans to become certified to recommend marijuana, and 62% were unlikely to recommend marijuana to their patients. Overall, the belief that medical cannabis should be legal had the greatest association with the likelihood of recommending cannabis (OR = .37, 95% CI = .24–.54), of becoming certified (OR = .21, 95% CI = .10–.38), and believing that Ohio’s program is too strict (OR = .39, 95% CI = .30–.51). However, the study sample precludes generalizing the results beyond this study. The 2.9% response rate could indicate a bias toward physicians who have strong opinions about the legality of medical cannabis.ConclusionThe results show that many physicians have concerns about medical cannabis and Ohio’s program, and many physicians may not participate in the program. This could be a problem for patients who would like to use cannabis for medical reasons; therefore, these patients, may need to utilize one physician for cannabis and another for regular care. Physicians will likely be caring for patients who are using cannabis regardless of their own beliefs about it. The lack of training regarding cannabis in healthcare, along with requiring “certified recommenders” to have training could result in a fractured healthcare system.
Highlights
Ohio’s medical cannabis program is one of three states that require physicians to become certified to recommend medical cannabis to their patients
Ohio physicians were recruited through the Ohio Board of Physicians roster to participate in an internet-based survey that investigated their opinions about medical marijuana and Ohio’s new program (State Medical Board of Ohio, 2018)
We emailed 11,665 physicians between May 2018 and the end of July 2018 asking for their participation in a study examining their attitudes and beliefs about medical marijuana and Ohio’s program
Summary
Ohio’s medical cannabis program is one of three states that require physicians to become certified to recommend medical cannabis to their patients. The current study examines the attitudes of Ohio physicians toward medical cannabis and Ohio’s program to ascertain how likely physicians are to participate in Ohio’s program. The state has created a system to allow people access to medical cannabis after previous voter referendums had failed. The state program requires physicians to become certified in order to recommend cannabis and limits the use of cannabis to 21 conditions. From 2016 to 2019 the Ohio Department of Commerce received and approved permits from cultivators, processors, and retailers, but questions remain regarding physician participation. Physicians who are interested in recommending cannabis to their patients had to participate in a two-hour training that encompassed cannabis safety and treating qualified conditions. Physicians require a medical license without any prohibitions or restrictions
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