In states that have legalized medical marijuana, cannabis has proven to be an effective painkiller and opioid alternative. Not only can cannabis treat opioid addiction, but new research shows how medical marijuana can fight opioid crisis by curbing the number of opioid prescriptions. Here are the findings from two separate studies that reach the same conclusion.
The First Study: Medicaid Prescriptions
Two studies published in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine link medical marijuana to a decrease in opioid use. The two studies look at opioid use for Medicaid and Medicare card holders, respectively. Both studies assume that opioid prescription is largely responsible for the opioid epidemic.
The first study compares Medicaid patients in states that have legalized marijuana, versus states without medical cannabis. They found that between 2011 and 2016, states with legal medical marijuana for pain relief had a 6 percent lower opioid prescription rate.
Additionally, states that have legalized recreational marijuana had an opioid prescription rate about 6 percent lower than those with medical marijuana.
As explained one of the study’s authors, Hefei Wen from the University of Kentucky, “That suggests the medical marijuana laws didn’t reach some people who could benefit from using marijuana instead of opioids.”
Not only is medical marijuana highly beneficial for people experiencing pain, but recreational marijuana gives people even better access to marijuana as a pain reliever.
Only lower-income Americans qualify for Medicaid, which ensured fewer variables in the study. Furthermore, the study considers data from each quarter, meaning that if a state legalized medical or recreational marijuana, analysts would place the data in a different category.
The Second Study: Medicare Prescriptions
New research shows how medical marijuana can fight opioid crisis in the second