Knowledge and attitude of college students towards cannabis use in urban India: A comparative perspective of users and non-users

Background We aimed to assess the knowledge and attitude about cannabis use among college students in India, compare the perspective among users and non-users and lay a framework for development of effective primary prevention strategies in future. Methods This cross-sectional study was done in different colleges of Mumbai. Two hundred and sixty students of both sexes aged between 18 and 25 years were selected by systematic random sampling. Participants had to fill a sociodemographic questionnaire and a self-administered questionnaire that was analysed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences software. Results About 11.2% of the participants were users of cannabis and around 15% of them expressed a desire to take cannabis in the future. About 72% users were introduced to cannabis by their friends. The most common reasons for consumption of cannabis were peer pressure (29.6%), followed by stress reduction (23.5%) and experimentation (21.9%). The majority of participants (81%) did not favour legalization of cannabis use. However, more than half the participants were unaware of cannabis-related legal issues. Non-users considered cannabis to be more harmful and addictive than users who held a more permissive view regarding effects of taking cannabis. Conclusion The knowledge regarding harmful and legal implications of cannabis is relatively low amongst college students. Peer pressure, stress reduction and experimentation remain the commonest reasons for consumption. Imparting knowledge in early adolescence remains crucial in mitigating ignorant attitudes towards harmful cannabis use.