Concerns, beliefs and attitudes of pharmacists and pharmacy students on cannabis use in Canada

Abstract

Background: Since cannabis has been legalized in Canada for medical and recreational use, there has been an increased demand on pharmacists for cannabis counselling. The objective of this study was to determine the concerns, beliefs and attitudes of Canadian pharmacists and pharmacy students towards using cannabis. Methods: An online survey was synthesized under 3 broad themes: concerns, beliefs and attitudes about cannabis, consisting of 27 questions capturing demographics and Likert scale responding to survey questions. We examined whether there were differences in responses by geographic location (i.e., Ontario, Quebec, Canada), sex or practice setting (i.e., community, hospital). Results: Across Canada, there were 654 survey respondents, with 399 in Ontario and 95 in Quebec. Approximately 24% indicated they had used cannabis since legalization, 69% indicated they believed cannabis should be available for medical and recreational use and 34% indicated their perceptions towards cannabis had become more positive since legalization. Relative to Quebec or the rest of Canada, respondents from Ontario were significantly more likely to be comfortable providing counselling to and answering questions of patients on the safety and efficacy of medical cannabis use. Examining sex differences across Canada, male respondents were more comfortable than female counselling patients on the safety and efficacy of medical cannabis. Conclusion: The current results reinforce the perceived need by pharmacists and pharmacy students for targeted education, and future research in cannabis education should consider potential gender differences in attitudes and beliefs surrounding cannabis therapy.

A cross-sectional survey exploring the knowledge, experiences and attitudes of Australian pharmacists toward medicinal cannabis

“…Few respondents felt confident discussing customers’ enquiries about MC products despite the rise in such enquiries, and only around half of the respondents felt comfortable supplying MC. Similar findings are observed in many international surveys of pharmacists around MC [ 1 , 31 – 34 , 47 ]. These results may reflect pharmacists’ need to navigate the broad range of clinical applications for cannabis-based medicines [ 2 , 5 , 42 ], only some of which are supported by high-quality evidence [ 48 ], and the extensive product range in Australia involving around 240 individual preparations [ 2 , 5 ].…”

“…Male pharmacists were found to be more supportive of Pharmacist Only CBD being available in pharmacies and more confident with managing MC enquiries than female pharmacists. Gender differences were also noted in a Canadian survey of pharmacists and pharmacy students around MC, whereby male pharmacists were more comfortable counselling patients around MC than their female colleagues [ 47 ]. Research suggests that women often demonstrate lower confidence than men in various contexts.…”

“…Almost all survey respondents strongly endorsed the need for further training. This need has been repeatedly highlighted as a priority in surveys of pharmacists around MC [ 1 , 31 , 33 , 34 , 47 , 50 , 51 ], at times, in equally high numbers, i.e., ~ 70–90% of pharmacists surveyed [ 33 , 34 ]. A significant obstacle to pharmacists’ education around cannabis-based therapy has been noted as a lack of access to reliable resources and training activities [ 34 , 50 , 51 ].…”

Healthcare practitioner perceptions on barriers impacting cannabis prescribing practices

“…It is unclear exactly when MC training officially began in Canada and there remains a lack of standardized MC training among Canadian professional schools. Despite 20 years since the legal recognition of patients’ right to access MC, studies have consistently noted gaps in cannabis knowledge among trainees and professionals in medicine [ 17 , 18 ], nursing [ 29 ], and pharmacy [ 30 ]. In one notable attempt at increasing knowledge, the Canadian Consortium for the Investigation of Cannabinoids initiated a continuing education program consisting of 64 live events in 26 locations in 2009–2010 [ 31 ].…”