Psychiatrists’ attitude to medical use of marijuana in Nigeria

Abstract

The medical use of marijuana has been on the forefront of public debates in many developed countries. Despite increasing evidence of marijuana’s addictive propensity and its potential for causing and worsening psychotic illness in predisposed individuals, public opinion continue to fuel efforts to legalize the medical use of marijuana in many countries. Though receiving growing acceptance in developed countries, little is known about attitude of mental health professionals in developing countries where it is still an illegal drug. A survey of opinion of psychiatrists and psychiatrists – in – training in 2 specialist psychiatric hospitals was conducted using a convenient sampling technique in July 2015. The questionnaire included items on socio-demographic characteristics and a single item “Should the medical use of marijuana be encouraged in this country? The response has 3 options ‘Yes’, ‘No’ and ‘Undecided’. Fifty eight respondents comprising 21 (36.2%) psychiatrists and 37 (63.8%) psychiatrists – in – training participated in the survey, giving a response rate of 83%. Thirty- two (55.2%) respondents gave “No” answer to the question, 18 (31%) answered “Yes” while 8(13.8%) were “undecided”. There is a significant relationship between respondent’s age and a negative attitude to medical use of marijuana, with higher prevalence of “No” response among respondents less than 40years of age. This survey found that most psychiatrists and psychiatrists – in –training will not encourage medical use of marijuana in Nigeria, this observation has policy implication in healthcare service delivery. We recommend further research to explore reasons behind current position of psychiatrists on this issue.

Keywords: Medical Marijuana; Psychiatrists; psychiatrist-in training; Nigeria