Research is starting to show that states with legalized medical marijuana and opioid use. Helps in decreasing opioid related cases.. Helps decrease the use of opioids, as well as deaths associated with opioid use.
Recent research has suggested that legalization of medical marijuana. May be linked to reduced use of opioids, prescription and overdose fatalities. But scientists still lack sufficient evidence to verify this finding. Opioid-related mortality increased by 15.6 percent between 2014 and 2015. And increased by nearly 320 percent between 2000 and 2015.
Jama Intern Med for instance, discovered that Medicare Part D prescriptions filled for all opioids in states where medical marijuana is legalized was reduced.
The research examined prescription information for Medicaid. They discovered that medical cannabis regulations and cannabis regulations for adults were linked with reduced opioid prescription levels (5.88% and 6.88% higher respectively).
Legalization of Medical Marijuana = fewer fatalities
Furthermore, a research funded by the NIDA proposed a connection between legalization of medical marijuana and fewer fatalities from prescription opioids. However, these studies are population-based and can not demonstrate that legalization of medical marijuana has led fatalities to decline or pain patients have altered their drug-taking behavior.
A more thorough research funded by the NIDA reveals that legally licensed medical marijuana dispensaries were also linked with a decline in the following
- opioid prescribing
- self-reports of opioid misuse
- treatment admissions for opioid addiction
Additionally, some information suggest that medical marijuana therapy may lower the opioid dose recommended for pain patients. While another latest NIH-funded research indicates that cannabis use tends to improve the likelihood of developing opioid use disorder.
Legalizing Marijuana Reduces Opioid Deaths
The first research discovered a link between legalizing medical marijuana and reducing overdose fatalities from opioid pain relievers. An impact that was reinforced each year after legislation was implemented.
The second NIDA-funded research was a more thorough analysis by the RAND Corporation. Showing that legally controlled access to medical cannabis dispensaries is connected with reduced concentrations of opioid addiction. Reduced self-reporting of non-medical prescription opioid use, reduced therapy admissions for prescription opioid use disorders and decreased overdose deaths.
More Medical Marijuana Research is needed
While no single research is definitive, they cumulatively indicate that medicinal marijuana. May play a part in decreasing the use of opioids required to regulate pain, but they do not occur without risk.
More study is required to explore marijuana’s prospective therapeutic function. Including its role as an opioid use disorder therapy alternative and its capacity to decrease particular kinds of pain.
