Cannabis Care: Intellectual Humility and Instructional Strategies

The challenge healthcare faculty are encountering when discussing cannabis education with students is the effect that misperceptions, media influence, and lack of evidence can have regarding cannabis care. This article shares an innovative teaching strategy and qualitative results based on increasing intellectual humility using the Collective Rethinking Model. The instructional design of this study included three assignments: a role and responsibility analysis, a more nuanced conversation about cannabis, mental health, and athletes, and promoting student curiosity using a virtual cannabis field trip. Each assignment consisted of a cannabis-related activity followed by a written response (n=99). These responses were coded, and thematic analysis was confirmed by the research team. For the role and responsibility analysis assignment, themes reflected existing stigmas and a new awareness of evolving cannabis research. For the nuanced conversation assignment about cannabis, mental health, and athletes, the results identified three themes: concern for the ethics of the suspension, the need for more research regarding cannabis and PTSD care, and an increased awareness of the inconsistencies in drug policies from a global perspective. The last assignment designed to promote cannabis curiosity used a virtual cannabis field trip. It demonstrated curiosity across a broad spectrum of cannabis industry topics and issues. The results demonstrate today's healthcare students have curiosity about their potential role in cannabis care. The lessons learned from this study have implications for designing nursing and interprofessional health curricula that rigorously and creatively engage students in the practice of cannabis care, mental health promotion, ethics, regulation, and industry.