74% of medical professionals believe that medical cannabis isa legitimate medical therapy and it should be offered by healthcare providers

The Colombian Observatory of the Cannabis Industry (Observatorio Colombiano de la Industria del Cannabis) carried out, in alliance with Sociométrica and the Colombian Association of the Cannabis Industry (ASOCOLCANNA), the first survey for medical professionals about medical cannabis in Colombia. It surveyed more than 300 doctors from 58 municipalities in Colombia, consulting their opinions on the medical use of cannabis in the country.  

Below are the main conclusions of the study: 

• 86% of those surveyed believe that cannabinoids are useful for the treatment of cancer associated with chronic severe pain, 85% believe it is useful for untreatable pain, 82% for terminal illness, and 75% for severe muscle spasms. 
• Only a quarter of respondents believe that cannabis use somewhat increases the risk of conditions such as: drug overdose (26%), low birth weight (22%), or memory problems (22%). 
• While 68.8% of physicians say their patients have asked them about the use of medical cannabis, only 12% of physicians feel fairly or very prepared to answer their queries. 
• 28% of the doctors surveyed say they have prescribed some formulation of medical cannabis in the course of their medical career. This percentage rises to 49% among physicians that have been in practice between 11 and 20 years. 
• 92% of medical professionals agree that there should be a clear and standardized protocol among healthcare providers when formulating/prescribing medical cannabis to patients. 

Miguel Samper, president of the Colombian Association of the Cannabis Industry (ASOCOLCANNA), stated: "These results confirm, supported by the figures, the importance of consolidating the medical use of cannabis as a concern that saves lives, as stated by the specialists. We need the government to continue moving forward, allowing the registration of Colombian-made medications and phytotherapeutic products in the National Institute of Surveillance of Medications and Foods (INVIMA): it is paradoxical that Colombian patients can only have access today to imported cannabis medications".  

Jaime Arteaga, General Director of Jaime Arteaga y Asociados, indicated that "These figures, alongside another survey also carried out by OCIC, showed that 1 out of 4 Colombians have already used Cannabis-based products. We can state that there is already an important cannabis industry in Colombia, which justifies the existence of institutions and regulatory frameworks that facilitate the formalization of many agents that belong to this industry". 

The complete results of the survey were launched on January 18th, by the OCIC team, the president of ASOCOLCANNA, and Dr. Pablo Zuleta, director Drug Consumption at the Center for Studies on Security and Drugs of the Universidad de los Andes, who advised this study. 

Jaime Arteaga & Asociados (JA&A) is a firm that manages projects for development, focused on the synapse between public and private actors. For more than ten years we have been working to generate value to societies and markets through seven business lines: Energy Management, Green Business, Ecosystems Development, Intangible Management, Extractive Industry and Territorial Management. JA&A currently works with more than 200 of Colombia's largest companies, several international cooperation agencies and numerous public sector entities.  

For more information on the observatory please contact Mónica Hoyos, Deputy Director of Ecosystems for Development and Director of OCIC at JA&A, at mhoyos@ja-a.co.