Perceived Risk

The wide gap in acceptance between low-risk perceivers (65.4%) and high-risk perceivers (13.2%) demonstrates the potential for attitude change through accurate risk framing. Perceived risk was the single strongest predictor of acceptance of medical marijuana in the multivariable analysis. Respondents with low perceived risk were nearly six times more likely to accept medical marijuana (AOR 5.82). Public education campaigns providing balanced information on therapeutic benefits and health risks could substantially shift public attitudes toward medical marijuana.