Perception of medical cannabis and other cannabis-based products by multidisciplinary healthcare professionals across Europe: A research project conducted by the European Association for Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics (EACPT) Early Career Clinical Pharmacologists

Introduction
The legal use of medical cannabis by the patients of authorised professionals has been growing in Europe over the last decade, with significant variations between countries. The objective was to assess the perception of medical cannabis and other cannabis-based products among any healthcare professionals involved in their prescription, delivery, administration, or advice across Europe.
Methods
This cross-sectional survey was implemented by the EACPT Early Career Clinical Pharmacologist Working Group [1]. An electronic questionnaire
was developed using EU Survey [2] and spread by European and national learned societies and associations. The research project was approved by the Comité d’Evaluation de l’INSERM (CEEI/IRB 00003888) on 09/02/2021.
Results
Overall, 185 explorable questionnaires were collected between February 2021 and September 2022. They originated from 17 countries. Respondents were 107 females (57.8%) and 75 males (40.5%), with a median age of 36 (Q1=30; Q3=47). They practised in the hospital framework(n=144, 77.8%) as pharmacologists (n=43, 23,2%), nurses (n=25, 13.5%), general practitioners (n=23, 12,4%), or pharmacists (n=16, 8,6%). The most represented medical specialities (except clinical pharmacology) were internal medicine (n=14, 7,6%), pain medicine (n=11, 5,9%), and oncology (n=7, 3,8%). The vast majority consulted less than one patient treated with medical cannabis or cannabis-based products each week and had never prescribed them. They supported the authorisation of regulated medical cannabis (n=143, 77.3%) and believed it is a legitimate therapy(n=142, 76.8%). They reported feeling comfortable discussing medical (n=105, 56.8%) or recreational (n=106, 57.3%) cannabis with their patients. Besides, they reported having insufficient knowledge to prescribe medical cannabis themselves (n=91, 49.2%). Opinions about the legalisation of recreational cannabis were balanced (neutral: n=44, 23.8%, pros: n=61, 33.0%; cons: n=77, 41.6%).
Conclusions
This study provides elements on the level of acceptability for cannabis as a therapeutic option among the healthcare professionals likely to man-age and support patients potentially treated with medical cannabis. The participation was low despite spreading widely among the target population, regular reminders, and two period extensions. Nevertheless, these results can serve as a basis to implement future actions at the attention of healthcare providers, including education