Nurse’s Attitudes and Perceptions Towards Medical Cannabis Legalization in Thailand

Abstract

Objective: To determine the attitudes and perceptions among nurses towards legalization of cannabis for medical use in Thailand. Material and Methods: This anonymous, cross-sectional paper and online survey was conducted from May 2020 to November 2021. Data collection was done using the Cannabis as Medicine: Thai Nurse’s Attitudes and Perceptions Survey. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the data. Results: This study included 287 Thai registered nurses across Thailand. The top 3 positive attitudes and perceptions among the nurses were: 1) currently, most patients use or intend to use cannabis oil, 2) it’s not uncommon if nurses with advanced cancer decide to use cannabis oil, and 3) a patient’s values and beliefs in cannabis oil can them feel better. The top 3 negative attitudes and perceptions were: 1) cannabis reduces tumor growth in advanced cancer stages, 2) nurses administer medical cannabis as other medications; and (3) nurses like taking care of patients with the non-medicinal use of cannabis. Conclusion: Thai registered nurses were more likely to have negative attitudes towards medical cannabis. The respondents required to increase their knowledge about medical cannabis. Understanding Thai nurses’ attitudes and perceptions towards medical cannabis use is necessary to see their insider views, the difficulties they face, and provide room for improvement to enhance the benefits and safety of medical cannabis use. Future research with larger sample sizes is recommended to strengthen the quality of evidence.

Keywords

• nurses’ attitudes
• nurses’ perceptions
• medical cannabis