{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,29]],"date-time":"2026-01-29T03:22:16Z","timestamp":1769656936070,"version":"3.49.0"},"reference-count":46,"publisher":"BMJ","issue":"1","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,27]],"date-time":"2026-01-27T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1769472000000},"content-version":"unspecified","delay-in-days":26,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"National Institute of Health, Malaysia"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["bmj.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["BMJ Open"],"accepted":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,9]]},"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2026,1]]},"abstract":"<jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Background<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Global discussions surrounding the medical use of marijuana have gained momentum; yet in Malaysia, cannabis remains strictly prohibited under the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952. Despite its legal status, there is growing public discourse on its potential therapeutic benefits. Understanding public acceptance is critical for informing future health policies and public education efforts.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>This study used a cross-sectional design, web-based survey among Malaysians aged 18 years and above using convenience and snowball sampling methods. The survey collected data on sociodemographic characteristics, lifestyle factors (eg, smoking and drug use), awareness of medical marijuana and perceived risk. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was performed to identify factors associated with acceptance of medical marijuana decriminalisation.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Out of 2047 respondents, 88.4% supported medical marijuana decriminalisation based on clinical evidence. Key predictors of acceptance included male gender (adjusted OR (AOR) 1.71; 95%\u2009CI 1.29 to 2.26), higher education (Bachelor\u2019s degree AOR 1.56; 95%\u2009CI 1.09 to 2.23 and Master\u2019s\/PhD AOR 2.04; 95%\u2009CI 1.34 to 3.10), self-employment (AOR 1.84; 95%\u2009CI 1.22 to 2.77) and private sector employment (AOR 1.40; 95%\u2009CI 1.03 to 1.89). Behavioural factors, such as smoking (AOR 1.58; 95%\u2009CI 1.10 to 2.27), prior drug use (AOR 1.86; 95%\u2009CI 1.30 to 2.67) and low perceived risk (AOR 5.82; 95%\u2009CI 3.48 to 9.73), were also significantly associated with acceptance.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Conclusions<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>A large proportion of Malaysian adults supported the clinical use of medical marijuana. Acceptance was strongly associated with demographic and behavioural factors, particularly gender, education and perceived risk. These findings may guide the development of targeted public health education and inform future discussions on regulatory approaches in Malaysia.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1136\/bmjopen-2025-104802","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,27]],"date-time":"2026-01-27T13:10:35Z","timestamp":1769519435000},"page":"e104802","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1136\/crossmarkpolicy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Understanding the acceptance of medical marijuana among Malaysian adults: a cross-sectional online survey"],"prefix":"10.1136","volume":"16","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-2259-3009","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Abu Bakar","family":"Rahman","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute for Health Behavioral Research, National Institutes of Health, Ministry of Health Malaysia, Shah Alam, Malaysia"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Nurul Athirah","family":"Naserrudin","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute for Health System Research, National Institutes of Health, Ministry of Health Malaysia, Shah Alam, Malaysia"},{"name":"Herbal Medicine Research Centre, Institute for Medical Research, Setia Alam, Selangor, Malaysia"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Zamtira","family":"Seman","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Sector for Biostatistics and Data Repository, National Institutes of Health, Ministry of Health Malaysia, Shah Alam, Malaysia"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Zaikiah Mohd","family":"Zin","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Health Education Division, Ministry of Health, Putrajaya, Malaysia"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Rahmat","family":"Dapari","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Community Health, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Malaysia"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Mohd Rohaizat","family":"Hassan","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Public Health Medicine, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Cheras, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia"},{"name":"University of Cyberjaya, Persiaran Bestari, Cyber 11, 63000 Cyberjaya, Selangor, Malaysia"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Azman Ab","family":"Rashid","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute for Health Behavioral Research, National Institutes of Health, Ministry of Health Malaysia, Shah Alam, Malaysia"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Mariatul Umeera Muhd","family":"Dahaban","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute for Health Behavioral Research, National Institutes of Health, Ministry of Health Malaysia, Shah Alam, Malaysia"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Nadia Hani","family":"Jahaya","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute for Health Behavioral Research, National Institutes of Health, Ministry of Health Malaysia, Shah Alam, Malaysia"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Hema","family":"Balamurugan","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute for Health Behavioral Research, National Institutes of Health, Ministry of Health Malaysia, Shah Alam, Malaysia"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Manimaran","family":"Krishnan","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute for Health Behavioral Research, National Institutes of Health, Ministry of Health Malaysia, Shah Alam, Malaysia"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"239","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,27]]},"reference":[{"key":"2026012705101341000_16.1.e104802.1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1941","DOI":"10.1016\/S0140-6736(23)02617-X","article-title":"Drug decriminalisation: grounding policy in evidence","volume":"402","year":"2023","journal-title":"The Lancet"},{"key":"2026012705101341000_16.1.e104802.2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1002\/pam.21804"},{"key":"2026012705101341000_16.1.e104802.3","unstructured":"United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime . 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