A new federally funded study shows that legalization of marijuana in U.S. states is associated with reduced prescriptions for opioid pain medications among commercially insured adults\u2014indicating a possible substitution effect where patients are choosing to use cannabis instead of prescription drugs to treat pain.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese results suggest that substitution of cannabis for traditional pain medications increases as the availability of recreational cannabis increases,\u201d authors wrote, noting that there \u201cappears to be a small shift once recreational cannabis becomes legal, but we see stronger results once users can purchase cannabis at recreational dispensaries.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cReductions in opioid prescription fills stemming from recreational cannabis legalization may prevent exposure to opioids in patients with pain,\u201d their report, published in the journal Cannabis, continues, \u201cand lead to decreases in the number of new opioid users, rates of opioid use disorder, and related harms.\u201d<\/p>\n
The new research, which was supported by a grant from the National Institute on Drug Abuse, looked at national records of opioid prescription fills as well as prescribing of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and other pain medications. Analysis showed that prescription opioid fills dropped following legalization in U.S. while prescribing of non-opioid pain medications saw \u201cmarginally significant increases.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\u201cOur study adds to the growing evidence of the substitutability of cannabis for opioids and non-opioid pain medications.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
\u201cOnce recreational cannabis dispensaries open, we find statistically significant decreases in the rate of opioid prescriptions (13% reduction from baseline,\u00a0p<\/em> < .05),\u201d the study says, \u201cand marginally significant decreases in the average daily supply of opioids (6.3% decrease, p<\/em> < .10) and number of opioid prescriptions per patient (3.5% decrease, p<\/em> < .10).\u201d<\/p>\n
The findings were authored by a five-person research team from the University of Chicago, University of Georgia and Indiana University Bloomington.<\/p>\n
Notably, because NSAIDs are typically available as over-the-counter medications, researchers said their \u201canalyses using these medications are under-powered.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOur findings may therefore support the analgesic properties of cannabis because patients are prescribed fewer opioids without a statistically significant increase in non-opioid pain medication when cannabis is available,\u201d they wrote.<\/p>\n
Another explanation could be that prescribing healthcare providers reduce opioid prescriptions following cannabis legalization, the team acknowledged, pointing to evidence that adding marijuana to state prescription drug monitoring programs (PDMPs) impacts providers\u2019 prescribing practices around other controlled substances, such as opioids.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhether driven by patients or healthcare providers, reductions in opioid fills stemming from [recreational cannabis legalization] implementation may prevent exposure to opioids in patients with pain,\u201d the report says, \u201cand lead to decreases in the number of new opioid users, rates of opioid use disorder, and related harms.\u201d<\/p>\n
It references a study published late last year examining the effects of adding medical marijuana to PDMPs, which concluded that the additional tracking had mixed effects, both reducing the prescription of medications that could cause complications with cannabis and also exposing a possible bias against medical marijuana patients among healthcare providers<\/a>.<\/p>\n
Authors of the new study also pointed out that prior research \u201cshows that, while some subset of the population uses cannabis when it becomes recreationally legal, many wait until dispensaries open. Still, many more wait until dispensaries have been open for several years.\u201d<\/p>\n
The team also noted that most prior research has focused on medical marijuana legalization. \u201cWe expand on this literature by examining recreational cannabis legislation,\u201d they wrote. \u201cFurthermore, we include a novel examination of non-opioid pain medications.\u201d<\/p>\n
The new study<\/a> adds to a growing body of research indicating that cannabis reform may help lessen patients\u2019 use of opioids and tamp down prescribing of prescription painkillers.<\/p>\n
A study published late last year, for example, found that legalizing medical cannabis appeared to significantly reduce monetary payments from opioid manufacturers to doctors who specialize in pain, according to recently published research, with authors finding \u201cevidence that this decrease is due to medical marijuana becoming available as a substitute\u201d for prescription painkillers.<\/p>\n
Other recent research also showed a decline in fatal opioid overdoses in jurisdictions where marijuana was legalized for adults. That study found a \u201cconsistent negative relationship\u201d between legalization and fatal overdoses, with more significant effects in states that legalized cannabis earlier<\/a>\u00a0in the opioid crisis. Authors estimated that recreational marijuana legalization \u201cis associated with a decrease of approximately 3.5 deaths per 100,000 individuals.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOur findings suggest that broadening recreational marijuana access could help address the opioid epidemic,\u201d that report said. \u201cPrevious research largely indicates that marijuana (primarily for medical use) can reduce opioid prescriptions, and we find it may also successfully reduce overdose deaths.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFurther, this effect increases with earlier implementation of [recreational marijuana legalization],\u201d it added, \u201cindicating this relationship is relatively consistent over time.\u201d<\/p>\n
Another recently published report into prescription opioid use in Utah following the state\u2019s\u00a0legalization of medical marijuana<\/a>\u00a0found that the availability of legal cannabis both reduced opioid use by patients with chronic pain and helped drive down prescription overdose deaths statewide. Overall, results of the study indicated that \u201ccannabis has a substantial role to play in pain management and the reduction of opioid use,\u201d it said.<\/p>\n
Yet another study, published in 2023, linked medical marijuana use to\u00a0lower pain levels and reduced dependence on opioids<\/a>\u00a0and other prescription medications. And another, published by the American Medical Association (AMA) last February, found that chronic pain patients who received medical marijuana for longer than a month\u00a0saw significant reductions in prescribed opioids<\/a>.<\/p>\n
About\u00a0one in three chronic pain patients reported using cannabis<\/a>\u00a0as a treatment option, according to a 2023 AMA-published report. Most of that group said they used cannabis as a substitute for other pain medications, including opioids.<\/p>\n
Other research published that year found that\u00a0letting people buy CBD legally significantly reduced opioid prescription rates<\/a>, leading to 6.6 percent to 8.1 percent fewer opioid prescriptions.<\/p>\n
A 2022 research paper that analyzed Medicaid data on prescription drugs, meanwhile, found that legalizing marijuana for adult use was associated with\u00a0\u201csignificant reductions\u201d in the use of prescription drugs<\/a>\u00a0for the treatment of multiple conditions.<\/p>\n
A 2023 report\u00a0linked state-level medical marijuana legalization to reduced opioid payouts to doctors<\/a>\u2014another datapoint suggesting that patients use cannabis as an alternative to prescription drugs when given legal access.<\/p>\n
Researchers in another study, published last year, looked at opioid prescription and mortality rates in Oregon, finding that\u00a0nearby access to retail marijuana moderately reduced opioid prescriptions<\/a>, though they observed no corresponding drop in opioid-related deaths.<\/p>\n
Other recent research also indicates that cannabis may be an effective substitute for opioids in terms of pain management.<\/p>\n
A report published recently in the journal BMJ Open, for instance, compared medical marijuana and opioids for chronic non-cancer pain and\u00a0found that cannabis \u201cmay be similarly effective and result in fewer discontinuations than opioids,\u201d<\/a>\u00a0potentially offering comparable relief with a lower likelihood of adverse effects.<\/p>\n
Separate research published found that more than half (57 percent) of patients with chronic musculoskeletal pain said cannabis was more effective than other analgesic medications, while 40 percent reported\u00a0reducing their use of other painkillers since they began using marijuana<\/a>.<\/p>\n
\nHawaii Marijuana Legalization Bill Gets Approval From House Committees At Joint Hearing<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n
Photo courtesy of Chris Wallis \/\/ Side Pocket Images.<\/em><\/p>\n
The post Opioid Prescriptions Drop In States That Legalize Marijuana, Federally Funded Study Shows, Suggesting Some Pain Patients Prefer Cannabis<\/a> appeared first on Marijuana Moment<\/a>.<\/p>\n
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