Cannabis is Not a Top Concern for Physicians

Physicians are concerned about your health, but they’re not concerned about your cannabis consumption, according to a study published by The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). Nine hypothetical patient behaviors were presented to 233 primary-care doctors. The doctors were asked to rank the nine behaviors on a 10-point scale, with 10 being a severely serious problem.

The various patient behaviors being rated ranged from not wearing a helmet while riding a motorcycle to alcohol use, obesity and cannabis consumption. Both engaging in sexual activity with a sex worker and riding a helmet without a motorcycle ranked as the most serious problems at 8.4. Next, tobacco use and depression were most concerning, as they each received an 8.2.

From there, alcohol use and obesity were concerning, as they both received a 7.8. Next, firearms received a 7.4 ranking. From there, the ranking of problematic behaviors dramatically drops. Cannabis use and previous abortions ranked the least concerning by primary care physicians, as they only received 5.7.

The PNAS study also revealed that doctors with different political affiliations had much different opinions on the perceived dangers of cannabis. For example, Republican doctors were more likely to find cannabis dangerous than Democratic doctors. The study explained, “Republican [physicians] are more likely to discuss health risks of marijuana [with patients], urge the patient to cut down, and discuss legal risks.”

In addition, the study revealed that Republican physicians were more concerned about the dangers of abortions in comparison to Democratic physicians. The opposite was true about the dangers surrounding the presence of guns in a home.

While this is a positive reflection of how cannabis has become more accepted into our mainstream society, support of cannabis legalization is still a hot debate in the medical community. For example, although The California Medical Association has shared its support for cannabis legalization in the state, The American Medical Association at large still opposes legalization.