Harvard Medical Students Say Schools Need to Teach More About Medical Marijuana

While medical marijuana is becoming legal in more and more states, many doctors and other health professionals are still not educated in how it can help treat their patients. And some students at Harvard are trying to change that.

Two students at Harvard Medical School recently published an op-ed arguing that medical schools around the country need to teach more information about medical marijuana. They noted that while 29 states have legalized medical marijuana, only 1 in 10 medical schools included cannabis in their curriculum. So the next generation of doctors are not receiving information that many of their patients need to make informed choices about cannabis. And even more worrisome, they noted one survey found 90 percent of doctors don't feel confident prescribing cannabis.

The students also noted that medical marijuana knowledge could also help doctors when it comes to treating chronic pain. As we've noted many times, states with legalized medical marijuana have lower rates of opioid abuse. So obviously, medical professionals should see the benefits cannabis can have in avoiding their patients become addicts. But since they're not being taught properly about how cannabis can be an opioid alternative, that means they can also be the ones prescribing those dangerous drugs. 

Imagine if another drug was legal but doctors were given absolutely no information about it. That doesn't make sense, right? So the same should be true of marijuana as well.

(h/t STAT News)



Can we see some ID please?

You must be 19 years of age or older to enter.