{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,9]],"date-time":"2026-04-09T02:28:26Z","timestamp":1775701706426,"version":"3.50.1"},"reference-count":32,"publisher":"Public Library of Science (PLoS)","issue":"9","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2023,9,1]],"date-time":"2023-09-01T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1693526400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["www.plosone.org"],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["PLoS ONE"],"abstract":"<jats:sec id=\"sec001\">\n<jats:title>Background<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p>Misconceptions about the health risks of cannabis remain prevalent, indicating the need to improve public health messaging and determine the effectiveness of educational programming. Our objective was to develop a standardized questionnaire to measure knowledge about cannabis in the context of cannabis legalization.<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>\n<jats:sec id=\"sec002\">\n<jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p>A Cannabis Knowledge Assessment Tool (CKAT) was created using the Delphi method. A purposive sample of healthcare professionals, policymakers, academics, patients, and students served as the content and development experts. Principal component analysis from the codes identified from open-ended feedback guided the item development. Upon completion, the CKAT was administered as a pre- and post-test in four schools (7<jats:sup>th<\/jats:sup> and 9<jats:sup>th<\/jats:sup> Grade) in Canada. The data were analysed to determine whether knowledge scores changed after participating in a cannabis education program.<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>\n<jats:sec id=\"sec003\">\n<jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p>Twenty-four experts initially participated in the Delphi process and 18 (75% retention) continued throughout. Principal component analysis identified 3 domains: 1) effects of cannabis on the individual, 2) general information about cannabis, and 3) cannabis harm reduction. The final questionnaire consisted of 16 multiple-true-false questions (64 items) and received a Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level of 6.3, and a SMOG index score of 7.6. The CKAT was completed by 132 students; seventy-three 7<jats:sup>th<\/jats:sup> grade and fifty-nine 9<jats:sup>th<\/jats:sup> grade students. The baseline mean CKAT score was 46.2 (SD:5.5), which increased to 50.7 (SD:4.6) after the cannabis educational program (p&lt;0.05).<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>\n<jats:sec id=\"sec004\">\n<jats:title>Conclusions<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p>A novel tool to measure knowledge of cannabis was developed and piloted in 7<jats:sup>th<\/jats:sup> grade and 9<jats:sup>th<\/jats:sup> grade students. Future studies are required to test usability and validity of the CKAT in other contexts.<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0291113","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2023,9,1]],"date-time":"2023-09-01T17:29:29Z","timestamp":1693589369000},"page":"e0291113","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1371\/journal.pone.corrections_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":5,"title":["The development of a Cannabis Knowledge Assessment Tool (CKAT)"],"prefix":"10.1371","volume":"18","author":[{"given":"Ava","family":"Bayat","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Holly","family":"Mansell","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Jeff","family":"Taylor","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Michael","family":"Szafron","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-3425-0425","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Kerry","family":"Mansell","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"340","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2023,9,1]]},"reference":[{"issue":"3","key":"pone.0291113.ref001","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"205","DOI":"10.1016\/j.healthpol.2018.01.009","article-title":"The Canadian Cannabis Act legalizes and regulates recreational cannabis use in 2018","volume":"122","author":"C. 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