This article explores various studies which find the majority of oncologists feel unprepared to properly treat their patients with medical marijuana and the lack of research on medical cannabis. Despite feeling unprepared, half of the doctors who responded recommended it clinically. The article also cites another study which found only 9 percent of medical schools currently teach students about medical cannabis and about 90% of medical residents and fellows didn’t feel prepared to recommend cannabis.

A new study, published Thursday in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, found that the majority of oncologists—doctors who specialize in the treatment of cancer—feel unprepared to properly treat their patients with medical marijuana.

The researchers sent out a survey to 400 randomly selected oncologists, asking about their level of knowledge on medical cannabis as well as their prescription practices. The survey included questions about whether oncologists discuss, recommend, and feel sufficiently educated on medical cannabis.

“The overall response rate was 63%. Whereas only 30% of oncologists felt sufficiently informed to make recommendations regarding MM, 80% conducted discussions about MM with patients, and 46% recommended MM clinically,” wrote the authors of the study.

READ MORE...