Colorado healthcare providers felt unprepared to talk to patients about marijuana health risks after legalization
While Colorado providers frequently screened patients for marijuana use, most felt they lacked knowledge about health risks and were uncomfortable discussing specific effects, particularly around secondhand smoke, edibles, and safe storage.
Quick Facts
What This Study Found
A survey of 114 Colorado healthcare providers who care for children, adolescents, pregnant women, and breastfeeding women found that about half of those working with adolescents and pregnant/breastfeeding women assessed marijuana use at every or most visits. Only 23% of those working with children did so.
Providers were generally knowledgeable about Colorado marijuana laws and cautious about supporting legalization. They perceived moderate to high health risks, particularly for certain populations. However, few felt completely knowledgeable about marijuana health risks, and many lacked confidence discussing specific effects.
The biggest knowledge gaps were around secondhand smoke exposure, underage use, safe storage of cannabis products, and the risks of edible overconsumption.
Key Numbers
114 providers surveyed. ~50% assessed marijuana use at every/most visits with adolescents and pregnant women. 23% did so with children. Few felt completely knowledgeable about health risks. Key gaps: secondhand smoke, underage use, safe storage, edible overconsumption.
How They Did This
Survey of 114 Colorado-based healthcare providers using Venue-Day-Time sampling methodology throughout the state. The sample included physicians, nurses, and medical assistants who care for vulnerable populations. The survey assessed knowledge of laws, risk perceptions, counseling practices, and training needs.
Why This Research Matters
Legalization created a new clinical responsibility for providers, but this study shows that the medical education system had not kept up. Providers were screening for use but could not confidently discuss the specific risks, creating a gap between detection and effective counseling.
The Bigger Picture
As more states and countries legalize cannabis, the provider preparedness gap identified in Colorado is likely widespread. Patients increasingly expect their healthcare providers to have informed opinions about cannabis, but medical training has historically treated cannabis primarily as an illicit drug rather than a health topic requiring nuanced clinical guidance.
What This Study Doesn't Tell Us
Small sample (114 providers) from a single state. Venue-Day-Time sampling may not represent all Colorado providers. Self-reported knowledge and confidence may not reflect actual clinical competence. The survey captured a snapshot early in Colorado's legalization experience, when knowledge gaps would be expected to be largest.
Questions This Raises
- ?Has provider preparedness improved in the years since legalization?
- ?What specific training programs are most effective at closing these knowledge gaps?
- ?Do providers in other legalized states show similar patterns?
Trust & Context
- Key Stat:
- Only 23% of providers working with children routinely assessed marijuana use
- Evidence Grade:
- Cross-sectional survey with a small convenience sample from one state. Identifies important issues but has limited generalizability.
- Study Age:
- Published in 2017, reflecting early post-legalization conditions in Colorado. Provider education efforts have expanded since then.
- Original Title:
- The clinical implications of legalizing marijuana: Are physician and non-physician providers prepared?
- Published In:
- Addictive behaviors, 72, 1-7 (2017)
- Database ID:
- RTHC-01342
Evidence Hierarchy
A snapshot of a population at one point in time.
What do these levels mean? →Frequently Asked Questions
Why were providers uncomfortable discussing marijuana risks?
Medical training historically focused on cannabis as an illicit drug rather than a health topic requiring nuanced counseling. Legalization suddenly required providers to discuss dosing, product types, storage, and specific risks, areas not covered in most medical education programs.
What risks did providers feel least prepared to discuss?
Providers identified secondhand marijuana smoke exposure, risks of underage use, safe storage of cannabis products, and the dangers of edible overconsumption as their biggest knowledge gaps.
Read More on RethinkTHC
- 420-sober-survival-guide
- CBT-cannabis-recovery
- cannabis-relapse-cycle-pattern
- cold-turkey-vs-taper-quit-weed
- dating-sober-after-quitting-weed
- exercise-quitting-weed-anxiety-brain
- grieving-quitting-weed-loss
- help-someone-quit-weed
- how-to-quit-weed
- journaling-weed-withdrawal
- marijuana-anonymous-SMART-recovery-compare
- meditation-mindfulness-weed-withdrawal
- partner-still-smokes-weed
- partner-still-smokes-weed-quitting
- pink-cloud-sobriety-cannabis
- quit-weed-cold-turkey
- quit-weed-or-cut-back-which-is-better
- quit-weed-regret-went-back
- quitting-weed-20s
- quitting-weed-30s
- quitting-weed-after-years
- quitting-weed-during-crisis-divorce-job-loss
- quitting-weed-exercise
- quitting-weed-grief-loss-coping
- quitting-weed-legal-state
- quitting-weed-success-stories
- quitting-weed-triggers-environment
- relapsed-smoking-weed-what-to-do
- relapsed-weed
- should-i-quit-weed
- sober-music-festival-concert-without-weed
- supplements-weed-withdrawal
- telling-friends-quitting-weed
- weed-relapse-prevention-plan
- weed-relapse-why-it-happens
- weed-ritual-replacement
- weed-ruined-relationships
- weed-social-media-triggers-quit
Cite This Study
https://rethinkthc.com/research/RTHC-01342APA
Brooks, Elizabeth; Gundersen, Doris C; Flynn, Erin; Brooks-Russell, Ashley; Bull, Sheana. (2017). The clinical implications of legalizing marijuana: Are physician and non-physician providers prepared?. Addictive behaviors, 72, 1-7. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.addbeh.2017.03.007
MLA
Brooks, Elizabeth, et al. "The clinical implications of legalizing marijuana: Are physician and non-physician providers prepared?." Addictive behaviors, 2017. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.addbeh.2017.03.007
RethinkTHC
RethinkTHC Research Database. "The clinical implications of legalizing marijuana: Are physi..." RTHC-01342. Retrieved from https://rethinkthc.com/research/brooks-2017-the-clinical-implications-of
Access the Original Study
Study data sourced from PubMed, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health.
This study breakdown was produced by the RethinkTHC research team. We analyze and report published research findings without making health recommendations. All interpretations are based solely on the published abstract and study data.