Neither study proves that legalizing marijuana causes a decline in opioid prescriptions. And it’s unclear how much marijuana use was for medical versus recreational purposes or how much people might have relied on other non-opioid painkillers.
“Marijuana is one of the potential, non-opioid alternatives that can relieve pain at a relatively lower risk of addiction and virtually no risk of overdose,” said Hefei Wen, PhD, co-author of the Medicaid study and a researcher at the University of Kentucky College of Public Health in Lexington.
“The potential of these marijuana [legalization] policies to reduce the use and consequences of addictive opioids deserves consideration especially in states that have been hit hard by the opioid epidemic,” Dr. Wen said by email.
Pages: 1 2 | Single Page
No Responses to “Legal Access to Marijuana Tied to Drop in Opioid Prescriptions”