Why are students best placed to provide information about cannabis?
What sounds unusual is the approach taken by the “CannaPeer” research project at the Department of Applied Social Sciences. Using a peer-to-peer approach, specially trained HM students educate other students about the risks associated with cannabis and how to manage its use – in an accessible way and on an equal footing.
Cannabis prevention by students, for students
“We want to ensure that young people have access to fact-based information about cannabis,” says Sarah Pirks, a nursing student at the Department of Applied Social Sciences. Together with her fellow students Elisa Streng and Anna Heltmann, she runs an Instagram and TikTok account as well as a podcast to share content about cannabis use and dispel myths surrounding the topic.
Education on an equal footing
The aim is to raise students’ awareness of cannabis prevention through a peer-to-peer approach. The active involvement of students as peers plays a central role in this. To this end, they receive intensive training. Workshops, practically-oriented exercises and supporting materials equip them with the necessary knowledge and methods to carry out preventive measures and to communicate messages effectively. The aim is to encourage discussion among peers.
“For us, the peer-to-peer approach is key to reaching our target audience in an authentic way. If prevention is to be effective, it must take place within young people’s everyday lives – in an accessible, credible and dialogue-oriented manner,” emphasises HM Professor and Project Manager Andreas Fraunhofer.
Knowledge transfer online and offline
The project relies primarily on social media platforms to reach its target audience. “We chose Instagram and TikTok because that’s where we can reach young people,” says Elisa Streng. The educational programme is complemented by a podcast, “because it gives us the opportunity to explore topics in greater depth and invite experts to join us.”
In addition, face-to-face events are planned to encourage direct dialogue. These include workshops at vocational colleges and a lecture on addiction, with a particular focus on cannabis and alcohol. These will be complemented by campus surveys and creative action days, which will initially take place at the Pasing campus and are intended to be extended to the city centre in the future.
“Our aim is not just to provide information, but to create genuine opportunities for discussion and to actively involve students in shaping prevention initiatives,” explains project coordinator Leila Wanner.
Extensive network and long-term outlook
The project is being run in close collaboration with the University of Bamberg and Kempten University of Applied Sciences. In addition, local networks such as the Munich Addiction Prevention Programme and the Bavarian Youth Protection Initiative are actively involved. Through these partnerships, the peer-to-peer approach aims to create a sustainable and low-threshold prevention structure within the education sector. In the long term, the project’s vision is to establish a cross-regional network of trained peer educators through which young people can discuss cannabis in a fact-based, honest manner without stigma.
Constance Schölch
Project title: Cannabis prevention in Bavarian vocational schools, colleges and universities
Project duration: August 2023 to December 2025
Funding: Bavarian State Ministry of Health, Care and Prevention
Funding and project coordination: Bavarian State Office for Health and Food Safety (LGL)
Central Planning and Centre for Prevention and
Coordination at regional level: Health Promotion (ZPG) in collaboration with the Institute for Therapy Research (IFT)
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