This study shows that 48.9% of respondents favoured medical-only use and 47.6% supported both medical and recreational use (following legalisation), indicating generally favourable yet heterogeneous attitudes toward the therapeutic use of cannabis. Analysis between countries of the availability and possibility of medical use of marijuana shows a significant disharmony between regulations [22]. The pioneers in this respect were the USA and Canada. Currently, in Europe, legal medical cannabis is available, e.g., in the Czech Republic, France, Finland, Germany, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Switzerland, and Great Britain [23]. The diseases for which medical cannabis can be used also vary [24]. The most common use of medical cannabis is chronic pain [5]. A report by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) indicates substantial evidence that cannabis is effective for the treatment of pain, chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting, as well as for spasticity in multiple sclerosis. According to NASEM, there is moderate evidence that marijuana is effective for the treatment of sleep disorders, yet there is not sufficient evidence that confirms the impact of cannabis on appetite increase, Tourette syndrome, fear, post-traumatic stress disorder, cancer, irritable bowel syndrome, epilepsy, and various neurodegenerative disorders [13]. Our study aligns partly with these assessments: respondents most frequently indicated cancers, pain that is difficult to treat, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, and nausea as potential indications.

A large proportion of respondents perceived medical cannabis as effective in adults, and many also reported perceived benefits in children and adolescents; overall, pharmacists and pharmacy students stated that the benefits of medical cannabis outweigh its potential risks. To date, several studies on medical students’ knowledge of the medical use of cannabis have been carried out in Poland. In a study by Mazur R. et al., the majority of students (72%) were of the opinion that cannabis has medicinal properties, and the most frequent indication for medical cannabis was drug-resistant epilepsy; nearly all respondents (92.4%) supported legality for indicated patients, and most favoured prescription-only availability (59.1%) [25]. Other Polish studies indicate that students do not receive sufficient information on the therapeutic use of cannabis and find it difficult to state specific medical uses, most commonly listing cancer, pain, MS, and depression [24]. Following legalisation, substantial knowledge gaps persisted: the correctness of responses regarding medical uses was 24.06%, with “I don’t know” most frequent, underscoring the need to strengthen education to support appropriate patient management [26].

In our study, over 66% of respondents felt comfortable talking to patients about medical cannabis, whereas 46% felt comfortable providing detailed advice about effectiveness. Prior research shows that increased knowledge reduces fears and increases openness to counselling about medical cannabis [27]. Studies from other countries indicate that patients frequently ask clinicians about medical cannabis: 25–95% of doctors are asked, and depending on experience and specialty, 10–95% report being able to answer [28,29,30]. In our sample, this appears lower: most respondents reported providing advice less than twice a month, and over 90% stated that since legalisation they have seldom administered medical cannabis to patients, which is consistent with its limited integration into routine practice.

Although our results suggest that about half of pharmacists feel comfortable advising on medical cannabis, studies from Israel indicate that nearly 80% of doctors feel uncomfortable, primarily due to perceived insufficient knowledge [31]. Canadian studies likewise point to gaps related to constructing effective treatment plans and assessing benefit–risk profiles [32]. Consistent with this, more experienced or better-informed clinicians tend to be more convinced about advantages and less concerned about negative effects [33]. A review of European studies shows generally favourable attitudes toward medical cannabis among healthcare workers, coupled with a recurrent request for additional training [34]. Among pharmacy students in the United States, knowledge levels were low and many felt unprepared to dispense medical cannabis, further highlighting educational needs [35]. Similar patterns were observed among primary care providers—many perceived potential benefits (e.g., for cancer, incurable disease, pain), yet uncertainty about effectiveness was common and nonresponse rates were high [36], findings echoed in Norway [37].

In this context, the pharmacist’s role is particularly important: beyond dispensing, pharmacists provide counselling and often monitor treatment [38]. In our study, over half of respondents believed that medical cannabis use requires pharmacist intervention, and many indicated that patients with comorbidities should be managed by specialists in medical cannabis. Nonetheless, even in early-adopting settings such as California, pharmacists reported insufficient access to credible information and uncertainty about where to find it [39]. Outside Europe and North America, findings from Lebanon show that roughly half of pharmacists demonstrate good knowledge of uses, side effects, and interactions, while 79.4% support strictly defined medical use; knowledge was related to experience, residence, and beliefs [40].

Dosing and safety further underscore pharmacists’ value, as determining a safe and effective regimen requires solid pharmacological knowledge [15]. Use in children is especially challenging: younger age may be associated with higher risks of dependency or adverse effects [41]. Accordingly, paediatric use should be limited to selected indications with carefully planned and monitored treatment [42]. Overall, increasing education on medical cannabis among healthcare professionals is likely to improve standards of care; knowledge appears to be the strongest determinant of counselling comfort for specific conditions [32]. Such initiatives are essential to enable healthcare professionals to advise and educate patients effectively on condition-specific use [43].

Our results align with prior surveys showing generally favourable attitudes toward medical cannabis among pharmacists but uneven confidence in detailed counselling [15,32,34,35,36,37,38,39,40]. Consistent with other studies, respondents supported therapeutic use yet reported knowledge gaps that constrain practice [15,34,38,39,40]. Unlike settings with more mature programmes, Polish pharmacists reported a much lower frequency of counselling/dispensing and greater concern about legal repercussions, reflecting our partial-implementation context [38,39,40]. We also extend earlier work by disaggregating adult versus paediatric indications and by quantifying comfort with indication- and safety-specific counselling domains, which are infrequently reported in pharmacist surveys [34,35,36].