New Paper Published in JAMA Network Open: “Developing Medical Cannabis Competencies: A Consensus Statement.”

New Consensus on Medical Cannabis Education

We’re proud to share that D4DPR Expert Dr. Leslie Mendoza Temple and several D4DPR-affiliated experts (Drs. Kevin Boehnke, Deepika Slawek, Genester Wilson-King, and Mikhail Kogan, and scientific advisor Dr. David Gorelick) are co-authors on a new paper published in JAMA Network Open on October 7, 2025: “Developing Medical Cannabis Competencies: A Consensus Statement.”

What it says in brief

Using data from 23 expert panelists, the authors developed six core competencies that medical students should master — covering topics such as the biology of the endocannabinoid system, components and effects of cannabis, U.S. policy and regulation, evidence for therapeutic use, potential risks, and clinical management strategies.

The goal: to fill a major educational gap. As medical cannabis becomes more used in practice, many physicians feel unprepared to counsel patients, and currently very few medical curricula address it.

The paper also offers subcompetencies and suggests how to integrate cannabis education into the crowded medical school curriculum.

Alongside the consensus statement, JAMA Network Open also published an invited commentary by Dr. Darshan Mehta, MD, MPH, titled “Cannabis Education — A Professional and Moral Obligation for Physicians.”

In the commentary, Dr. Mehta argues that as patient use of cannabis continues to rise, physicians have an ethical duty to understand it — both to guide treatment and to engage transparently with patients. The commentary underscores the urgency of integrating rigorous cannabis education into medical training.