Study: Nurse leaders support medical marijuana use

Nurse leaders support legalization of medical marijuana and consider nurses and nursing organizations as pivotal to patients’ acceptance of, access to, and use of medical marijuana, according to a recent study. Published in the July issue of Journal of Nursing Regulation, the authors conducted a national, online, cross-sectional survey of 811 nurse leaders recruited through AONL. Nearly 90% of nurse leaders believed people should be able to use marijuana legally to treat their medical conditions, and 67% thought nurses should facilitate access to medical marijuana for patients who would benefit from its use. Nearly 80% of respondents agreed that state and national nursing organizations should help to decrease the stigma associated with marijuana, and 85% felt education about medical marijuana should be included in pre-licensure nursing education programs. AONL was a partner in this study.