Healthcare students’ knowledge and attitude toward medical cannabis: a cross-sectional study in southeastern Iran

BACKGROUND: Medical cannabis has gained increasing attention globally for its potential in treating various conditions. As the use of medical cannabis expands, it is crucial for future healthcare professionals, particularly physicians, to have a comprehensive understanding of its clinical applications, side effects, and legal status. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the knowledge and attitudes of healthcare students in southeastern Iran regarding medical cannabis. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study (April 4th-June 15th, 2025), 560 healthcare students from Kerman University of Medical Sciences were recruited through convenience sampling (response rate: 90.35%). Data were collected through a demographic and background information questionnaire, the Knowledge about Medical Cannabis-Scale (KMC-S), and the Attitude toward Medical Cannabis-Scale (AMC-S). SPSS 24 facilitated analysis using independent t-tests, ANOVA, Pearson correlation coefficient, and stepwise multivariate regression (α = 0.05). RESULTS: Participants (66.8% female, mean age = 22.31 ± 2.75 years) demonstrated moderate knowledge (65.6 ± 8.3 vs. midpoint = 60) but cautious attitudes (44.4 ± 5.4 vs. midpoint = 45). While the overall knowledge-attitude correlation was nonsignificant (r = -0.008, p = 0.855), subscale analysis revealed a weak negative correlation between knowledge and perceptions of "relative advantages to other drugs" (r = -0.195, p < 0.001) and a positive correlation with perceptions of "Legal and governmental aspects of medical marijuana" (r = 0.191, p < 0.001). A stepwise multiple regression identified educational year (β = 0.243, p < 0.001) and educational training about marijuana (β = 0.179, p < 0.001) as key knowledge predictors. CONCLUSION: Iranian healthcare students display therapeutic awareness but operational hesitancy regarding cannabis, potentially reflecting cultural-religious reservations. Findings underscore the need for curriculum reforms addressing evidence-based therapeutic applications while considering local sociolegal frameworks. Future research should explore attitude formation mechanisms in conservative medical environments.