Study shows Ohio doctors opinions on the medical cannabis program
As legalization slowly takes hold, each region around the globe has chosen its own way to handle the rollout. Most are starting out with meager access through medical cannabis programs, and even those with recreational consumption, are tiptoeing around how to improve current medical marijuana systems. Much more research on the subject is absolutely imperative, particularly when it impacts certain professions like doctors, and that is why one study that just took place, questioned physicians who work under the Ohio Medical Marijuana programs.
The goal
In researching the opinions of doctors who have had to apply for medical training to prescribe cannabis, we may be able to reveal some of the most glaring problems with the current system that is in place. This was meant to determine the feasibility and efficiency of a similar type of system being implemented elsewhere, and whether or not citizens are better off without programs like Ohio Medical Marijuana.
The study
Researchers for this study took the time to send out 11,665 invitations to physicians who had a current license in the state, and of those, only 344 responded with any interest, which means that only 2.9% of the original number of participants cared enough to take the time to have their voices heard. Of those, only 42 of them held a current license to prescribe cannabis or were hoping to soon obtain one, and they all said that the current Ohio medical marijuana program is way too strict to be beneficial.
Now, you could also assume that only those with some sort of positive interest would take part in the study in the first place, which could be why researchers saw such astounding results among participants. That seems especially likely when you take into consideration the record low number of doctors who chose to answer the invitation to be involved, but it’s a sign that as a society, we are making some progress in this area.
The results
In general, it is clear that doctors everywhere have a problem with the Ohio medical marijuana system because it forces them to get re-educated frequently and to abide by some very restrictive limits. Since so few answered the survey in the first place, it’s also pretty safe to assume that there are still a fair number of doctors and specialists who hold a firm stance against the legality of cannabis in any form.
All this information also suggests that the difficulty of the Ohio medical marijuana program may be enough to keep pro-pot doctors from partaking in the program, and those that don’t, cannot prescribe or even suggest cannabis as a medicine to any of their patients, without facing possible repercussions like lawsuits or job loss for doing so.
In conclusion
Many people all around the world use cannabis as a therapeutic aid to soothe symptoms that can otherwise be unmanageable by other means, and the clear results from this survey show that things like the Ohio medical marijuana program can act as a barrier for patients who are seeking a more natural treatment option.
Since any cannabis-related program in a legal region should be geared towards protecting and helping consumers rather than reducing their access, it is absolutely clear, that the Ohio medical marijuana program and any others like it, need to be replaced as soon as possible with a much better system. Otherwise, those who need this elusive therapeutic treatment the most will be left out in the cold.
