Cannabis use and knowledge among medical students at the University of the Free State, Bloemfontein, South Africa.

OBJECTIVE: The study aimed to investigate the prevalence of cannabis use among undergraduate medical students of the University of the Free State (UFS), and the extent of their knowledge about the substance.

METHOD: This cross-sectional study included five year groups of undergraduate medical students. A self-administered, anonymous questionnaire was used.

RESULTS: Of the 643 medical students, 541 (84.1%) completed the questionnaire. In total, 161 (30.9%) students reported that they had ever used cannabis. The percentage of males who had ever used cannabis was twice that of females (relative risk 2.04; 95% CI 1.56; 2.67). Of the cannabis users, less than 12% used it monthly or more often. A fifth (19.5%) of all students stated that they did not know the side effects of cannabis use. Nearly half (45.4%) indicated that they could not name any medicinal (medical) uses. The median knowledge score of students who used cannabis tended to be higher than that of students who did not use cannabis; this was statistically significant only in the third-year group.

CONCLUSIONS: Medical students generally have a low level of knowledge about cannabis. The reported lifetime prevalence and pattern of cannabis use are similar to those reported in other South African studies published over the past 35 years.