Knowledge and attitude of college students towards cannabis use in urban India: A comparative perspective of users and non-users

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dc.contributor.authorAli, Een_US
dc.contributor.authorSachdeva, Aen_US
dc.contributor.authorThakur, Aen_US
dc.contributor.authorKhullar, Sen_US
dc.contributor.authorDas, Pen_US
dc.contributor.authorAbbas, SZ.en_US
dc.date.accessioned2025-08-13T09:59:08Z
dc.date.available2025-08-13T09:59:08Z
dc.date.issued2025-04
dc.description.abstractBackground We aimed to assess the knowledge and attitude about cannabis use among college students in India, compare the perspective among users and non-users and lay a framework for development of effective primary prevention strategies in future. Methods This cross-sectional study was done in different colleges of Mumbai. Two hundred and sixty students of both sexes aged between 18 and 25 years were selected by systematic random sampling. Participants had to fill a sociodemographic questionnaire and a self-administered questionnaire that was analysed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences software. Results About 11.2% of the participants were users of cannabis and around 15% of them expressed a desire to take cannabis in the future. About 72% users were introduced to cannabis by their friends. The most common reasons for consumption of cannabis were peer pressure (29.6%), followed by stress reduction (23.5%) and experimentation (21.9%). The majority of participants (81%) did not favour legalization of cannabis use. However, more than half the participants were unaware of cannabis-related legal issues. Non-users considered cannabis to be more harmful and addictive than users who held a more permissive view regarding effects of taking cannabis. Conclusion The knowledge regarding harmful and legal implications of cannabis is relatively low amongst college students. Peer pressure, stress reduction and experimentation remain the commonest reasons for consumption. Imparting knowledge in early adolescence remains crucial in mitigating ignorant attitudes towards harmful cannabis use.en_US
dc.identifier.affiliationsDepartment of Psychiatry ESIC Medical College and Hospital, Faridabad, Haryana, Indiaen_US
dc.identifier.affiliationsDepartment of Psychiatry ESIC Medical College and Hospital, Faridabad, Haryana, Indiaen_US
dc.identifier.affiliationsDepartment of Anatomy ESIC Medical College and Hospital, Faridabad, Haryana, Indiaen_US
dc.identifier.affiliationsDepartment of Physiology ESIC Medical College and Hospital, Alwar, Rajasthan, Indiaen_US
dc.identifier.affiliationsDepartment of Health Research, Multi-Disciplinary Research Unit ESIC Medical College and Hospital, Faridabad, Haryana, Indiaen_US
dc.identifier.affiliationsDepartment of Radiodiagnosis ESIC Medical College and Hospital, Faridabad, Haryana, Indiaen_US
dc.identifier.citationAli E, Sachdeva A, Thakur A, Khullar S, Das P, Abbas SZ.. Knowledge and attitude of college students towards cannabis use in urban India: A comparative perspective of users and non-users. National Medical Journal of India. 2025 Apr; 38(2): 78-83en_US
dc.identifier.issn0970-258X
dc.identifier.issn2583-150X
dc.identifier.placeIndiaen_US
dc.identifier.urihttps://imsear.searo.who.int/handle/123456789/252856
dc.languageenen_US
dc.publisherAll India Institute of Medical Sciencesen_US
dc.relation.issuenumber2en_US
dc.relation.volume38en_US
dc.source.urihttps://doi.org/10.25259/NMJI_451_2023en_US
dc.titleKnowledge and attitude of college students towards cannabis use in urban India: A comparative perspective of users and non-usersen_US
dc.typeJournal Articleen_US
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