{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,15]],"date-time":"2026-05-15T23:33:25Z","timestamp":1778888005701,"version":"3.51.4"},"reference-count":27,"publisher":"Scientific Scholar","content-domain":{"domain":["nmji.in"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["NMJI"],"abstract":"<jats:sec id=\"st1\">\n<jats:title>Background<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p>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.<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>\n<jats:sec id=\"st2\">\n<jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p>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.<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>\n<jats:sec id=\"st3\">\n<jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p>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.<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>\n<jats:sec id=\"st4\">\n<jats:title>Conclusion<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p>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.<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.25259\/nmji_451_2023","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,6,28]],"date-time":"2025-06-28T15:50:00Z","timestamp":1751125800000},"page":"78-83","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.25259\/crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":2,"title":["Knowledge and attitude of college students towards cannabis use in urban India: A comparative perspective of users and non-users"],"prefix":"10.25259","volume":"38","author":[{"given":"ENUB","family":"ALI","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Psychiatry ESIC Medical College and Hospital, Faridabad, Haryana, India"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"ANKUR","family":"SACHDEVA","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Psychiatry ESIC Medical College and Hospital, Faridabad, Haryana, India"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"AVINASH","family":"THAKUR","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Anatomy ESIC Medical College and Hospital, Faridabad, Haryana, India"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"SHILPA","family":"KHULLAR","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Physiology ESIC Medical College and Hospital, Alwar, Rajasthan, India"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"PADMINI","family":"DAS","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Health Research, Multi-Disciplinary Research Unit ESIC Medical College and Hospital, Faridabad, Haryana, India"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"S. ZAFAR","family":"ABBAS","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Radiodiagnosis ESIC Medical College and Hospital, Faridabad, Haryana, India"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"10894","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,6,28]]},"reference":[{"key":"10.25259\/NMJI_451_2023\/ref-1","author":"United Nations Office on Drugs, Crime","year":"2015"},{"key":"10.25259\/NMJI_451_2023\/ref-2","volume-title":"National survey, ministry of social justice and empowerment, government of India and United Nations office on drugs and crime","author":"Ray","year":"2004"},{"key":"10.25259\/NMJI_451_2023\/ref-3","first-page":"830","article-title":"Changing pattern of substance abuse in patients attending a de-addiction centre in north India (1978-2008)","volume":"135","author":"Basu","year":"2012","journal-title":"Indian J Med Res"},{"key":"10.25259\/NMJI_451_2023\/ref-4","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3998\/2027.42\/150621","article-title":"Monitoring the Future national survey results on drug use 1975-2018 Overview, key findings on adolescent drug use","author":"Johnston","year":"2019","journal-title":"Ann Arbor: Institute for Social Research"},{"key":"10.25259\/NMJI_451_2023\/ref-5","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1575","DOI":"10.1016\/S0140-6736(13)61611-6","article-title":"Global burden of disease attributable to mental and substance use disorders: Findings from the global burden of disease study 2010","volume":"382","author":"Whiteford","year":"2013","journal-title":"Lancet"},{"key":"10.25259\/NMJI_451_2023\/ref-6","author":"Ambekar","year":"2019"},{"key":"10.25259\/NMJI_451_2023\/ref-8","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1093\/oso\/9780195125092.003.0009","article-title":"Marihuana and the federal bureau of narcotics","author":"Musto","year":"1999","journal-title":"American disease"},{"key":"10.25259\/NMJI_451_2023\/ref-9","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"101","DOI":"10.1001\/archpsyc.1972.01750200005002","article-title":"The marihuana tax act of 1937","volume":"26","author":"Musto","year":"1972","journal-title":"Arch Gen Psychiatry"},{"key":"10.25259\/NMJI_451_2023\/ref-10","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"105","DOI":"10.1177\/02537176221109272","article-title":"A review of historical context and current research on cannabis use in India","volume":"45","author":"Karki","year":"2023","journal-title":"Indian J Psychol Med"},{"key":"10.25259\/NMJI_451_2023\/ref-11","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1","DOI":"10.1177\/2158244013518055","article-title":"Public perceptions and attitudes toward adolescent marijuana use: Results of a statewide survey","volume":"4","author":"Resko","year":"2014","journal-title":"SAGE Open"},{"key":"10.25259\/NMJI_451_2023\/ref-12","author":"Bryan","year":"2000"},{"key":"10.25259\/NMJI_451_2023\/ref-13","author":"Johnson","year":"2011"},{"key":"10.25259\/NMJI_451_2023\/ref-14","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"241","DOI":"10.1016\/S0193-953X(05)70074-5","article-title":"Gender differences in substance use disorders","volume":"22","author":"Brady","year":"1999","journal-title":"Psychiatr Clin North Am"},{"key":"10.25259\/NMJI_451_2023\/ref-15","author":"Abdul-Rahman","year":"2003"},{"key":"10.25259\/NMJI_451_2023\/ref-16","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"7","DOI":"10.4103\/0975-2870.172413","article-title":"Substance use disorder and the family: An Indian perspective","volume":"9","author":"Sarkar","year":"2016","journal-title":"Med J Dr DY Patil Univ"},{"key":"10.25259\/NMJI_451_2023\/ref-17","author":"Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation attitudes on marijuana survey: Young adults ages 18 to 25 in the New York area who attend college","year":"2015","unstructured":"Available at www.hazelden.org (accessed on 30 Apr 2023)"},{"key":"10.25259\/NMJI_451_2023\/ref-18","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"383","DOI":"10.1177\/0017896910379694","article-title":"Substance-related knowledge, attitude, and behavior among college students: Opportunities for health education","volume":"70","author":"Heckman","year":"2011","journal-title":"Health Educ J"},{"key":"10.25259\/NMJI_451_2023\/ref-19","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"54","DOI":"10.1186\/s12954-020-00397-w","article-title":"Cannabis health knowledge and risk perceptions among Canadian youth and young adults","volume":"17","author":"Leos-Toro","year":"2020","journal-title":"Harm Reduct J"},{"key":"10.25259\/NMJI_451_2023\/ref-20","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"808","DOI":"10.3109\/10826084.2010.538460","article-title":"Gender differences in substance use, consequences, motivation to change, and treatment seeking in people with serious mental illness","volume":"46","author":"Drapalski","year":"2011","journal-title":"Subst Use Misuse"},{"key":"10.25259\/NMJI_451_2023\/ref-21","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"2162","DOI":"10.17516\/1997-1370-2015-8-11-2162-2182","article-title":"The marijuana factor in a University in Ghana: A survey","volume":"11","author":"Adu-Gyamfi","year":"2015","journal-title":"J Siberian Federal Univ Humanit Soc Sci"},{"key":"10.25259\/NMJI_451_2023\/ref-22","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.18356\/58c4f2e4-en","article-title":"United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC)","author":"United Nations","year":"2007","journal-title":"World drug report"},{"key":"10.25259\/NMJI_451_2023\/ref-23","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"441","DOI":"10.1016\/S0190-7409(00)00096-7","article-title":"Stress, stressors and coping among high school students","volume":"22","author":"De Anda","year":"2000","journal-title":"Child Youth Serv Rev"},{"key":"10.25259\/NMJI_451_2023\/ref-24","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"282","DOI":"10.7326\/M18-0810","article-title":"Risks and benefits of marijuana use: A national survey of U.S adults","volume":"169","author":"Keyhani","year":"2018","journal-title":"Ann Intern Med"},{"key":"10.25259\/NMJI_451_2023\/ref-25","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"377","DOI":"10.2190\/2AA9-UXAK-K8P6-1DB6","article-title":"The knowledge about drugs, attitudes towards them and drug use rates of high school students","volume":"3","author":"Fejer","year":"1973","journal-title":"J Drug Educ"},{"key":"10.25259\/NMJI_451_2023\/ref-26","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"3095","DOI":"10.3390\/ijerph16173095","article-title":"International perspectives on the implications of cannabis legalization: A systematic review and thematic analysis","volume":"16","author":"Bahji","year":"2019","journal-title":"Int J Environ Res Public Health"},{"key":"10.25259\/NMJI_451_2023\/ref-27","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"248","DOI":"10.1016\/j.drugalcdep.2017.10.039","article-title":"\"You've got to love rosin: Solventless daps, pure, clean, natural medicine\"","volume":"183","author":"Lamy","year":"2018","journal-title":"Exploring twitter data on emerging trends in rosin tech marijuana concentrates. Drug Alcohol Depend"},{"key":"10.25259\/NMJI_451_2023\/ref-28","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1300","DOI":"10.1016\/j.ajem.2017.10.060","article-title":"Cooking with cannabis: The rapid spread of (mis)information on YouTube","volume":"36","author":"Ouellette","year":"2018","journal-title":"Am J Emerg Med"}],"container-title":["The National Medical Journal of India"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/nmji.in\/knowledge-and-attitude-of-college-students-towards-cannabis-use-in-urban-india-a-comparative-perspective-of-users-and-non-users\/","content-type":"text\/html","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"https:\/\/nmji.in\/knowledge-and-attitude-of-college-students-towards-cannabis-use-in-urban-india-a-comparative-perspective-of-users-and-non-users\/","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2025,6,30]],"date-time":"2025-06-30T07:47:36Z","timestamp":1751269656000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/nmji.in\/knowledge-and-attitude-of-college-students-towards-cannabis-use-in-urban-india-a-comparative-perspective-of-users-and-non-users\/"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2025,6,28]]},"references-count":27,"alternative-id":["10.25259\/NMJI_451_2023"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.25259\/nmji_451_2023","relation":{},"ISSN":["2583-150X","0970-258X"],"issn-type":[{"value":"2583-150X","type":"electronic"},{"value":"0970-258X","type":"print"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2025,6,28]]},"article-number":"78"}}