Counties that have marijuana dispensaries see an average of 30 percent fewer opioid-related deaths compared to counties without legal cannabis shops open, suggesting a substitution effect away from prescription pills and heroin toward the plant-based treatment, according to a new data analysis.<\/p>\n
In a Washington Post piece on Wednesday, Harvard University economics student Julien Berman used data from the University of Michigan that identifies dispensary locations at the county level to compare opioid overdose trends over 10 years in jurisdictions where cannabis became legally available compared to those without regulated access.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe theory is straightforward: making cannabis more available\u2014and reducing its cost\u2014could induce people to shift from opioids, which are super dangerous, to marijuana, a significantly safer alternative,\u201d Berman said. \u201cExisting opioid users seeking pain relief can choose marijuana instead of heroin, especially in counties where recreational use is legal and access is easy. And new potential users might never turn to opioids at all if they could get marijuana instead.\u201d<\/p>\n
Other factors were taken into account to support the conclusion, including comparisons of opioid mortality rates in counties within a legal state where some allow retailers to operate and others have chosen to opt out.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat kind of variation helps rule out other state-level changes such as expanded access to naloxone\u2014a drug that can reverse the effects of an overdose\u2014as the main cause of the drop in deaths,\u201d Berman said<\/a>.<\/p>\n On average, the opioid death rates following the establishment of cannabis dispensaries declined more sharply in the immediate years after the opening compared to dry counties. But from years five to 10, there\u2019s a more precipitous effect, with an average rate of 27 percent fewer opioid deaths in jurisdictions that have cannabis storefronts after a decade.<\/p>\n