Overall, hypothesis-driven approaches to simulation scenario developments should be guided by targeting the sensory, motor, and cognitive processes of interest, incorporating task requirements that require these processes, and that are designed to extract outcome measures that address meaningful application-related implications. Public opinion toward cannabis, particularly for medicinal uses, has shifted in a more positive direction since the 1990’s . The perception of cannabis from the public is informed by a number of factors, and each individual may have a different view based on personal needs or experience.Factors informing opinions of cannabis use may include generational cohort,religious affiliation, media exposure, prior or current prescription and illicit drug use, and political affiliation. However, even as attitudes toward cannabis have improved, there remains a significant stigma attached to cannabis that needs to be addressed .Even though medicinal cannabis was legalized in California over20 years ago, patients have faced difficulties receiving treatment. Patients across the United States have reported that the stigmatization of cannabis is a significant barrier to accessing it for treatment . In a study conducted in Florida, mobile grow system where cannabis is legal for medicinal use, only 9% of medical cannabis consumers reported their primary physician recommend edit as a treatment option .
In another study, patients noted the belief that their employers, family members, and healthcare providers possessed a negative stigma toward medical cannabis; patients noted they were worried about being thought of as a “pothead” or “stoner”. Due to the stigma surrounding medical cannabis, particularly by their own healthcare providers, patients tend to seek out medical cannabis from those with whom they do not have a long-term relationship .The lingering stigma toward cannabis may be due, in part, to the remaining associations from the War on Drugs focus of U.S. health policy.In these lessons, specially trained police officers presented students with general knowledge about illicit drugs. Until 2016, D.A.R.E. lessons taught that cannabis is a “gateway drug,” or a substance that leads to the misuse of more abuse-prone substances . While the D.A.R.E. program has been found to be largely ineffective in reducing illicit drug use among its participants,individuals who completed the lessons retained implicit beliefs on the negative effects of cannabis .
Examining past efforts of de-stigmatization can provide an important pathway to understanding how cannabis can have its stigma removed in the future. A well-documented example of a public health issue that has moved past its stigma is the HIV/AIDS epidemic. The beginning of the HIV epidemic in the 1980s proved to be riddled with misinformation.HIV/AIDS was heavily associated with marginalized groups such as sex workers, gay men, and drug users . However, as medical knowledge advanced in a meaningful way, many of the misconceptions of the HIV/AID Sepidemic began to diminish. The notion that only gay men could get AIDS was eventually dispelled when Magic Johnson publicly announced his HIV status . Medical evidence,mobile vertical rack paired with Magic Johnson’s openness,proved to be a powerful public health education campaign toward removing the dangerous stigma that was associated with HIV/AIDS.To better understand perceptions associated with medical cannabis use,this study sought to analyze the effectiveness of formal education in changing attitudes toward medicinal cannabis.
While there are many factors influencing public perceptions, formal education efforts in the past with the HIV/AIDS epidemic proved to be vital toward removing stigma. Formulating an education plan informing the public, patients, and health carepractitioners may be a driving force for the normalization of medical cannabisuse for patients seeking treatment. Five educational lectures were prepared by the first two authors whohave educational and professional experience in medical cannabis. The presentations were given via PowerPoint, recorded, and uploaded to YouTube for participants to access via the research website. The presentations ranged in length from 7:36 to 19:41, which required a total participant time commitment of approximately 1.5 h.The respective lectures focused on the historical uses of medicinal cannabis;pain; anxiety, mood disorders, and insomnia; cancer; as well as risks and negative effects. Topics for the educational lectures were based on an extensive literature review, which concluded that the most common ailments currently being treated by medicinal cannabis are sleep disorders,pain, and anxiety disorders .