States that legalize medical or recreational marijuana see \u201csignificant reductions\u201d in opioid overdoses among adults with employer-sponsored health insurance\u2014indicating that a \u201csubstitution\u201d effect may be at play\u2014according to a new federally funded study.<\/p>\n
While numerous studies have linked state-level legalization to reduced opioid deaths, researchers at the University of Kentucky\u2019s College of Public Health said their data is the first of its kind to identify an association between cannabis access and non-fatal opioid poisonings.<\/p>\n
The study, published in the journal Preventive Medicine Reports, analyzed claims data on 107.5 million commercially insured adults aged 18-64 from all 50 states and Washington, D.C. from 2011 to 2021.<\/p>\n
Medical marijuana dispensaries and adult-use cannabis legalization was associated with \u201csignificant reductions in non-fatal opioid poisonings in the employer-sponsored insured population, particularly among male and younger populations,\u201d the study authors found.<\/p>\n
Specifically, access to medical cannabis dispensaries\u00a0 (MCDs) and recreational cannabis laws (RCLs) were associated with a 15.47 percent and 11.92 percent reduction in non-fatal opioid overdoses per 100,000 enrollees per quarter, respectively.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe reductions tied to medical dispensaries were significant for both men and women, and especially notable among younger adults ages 18\u201334, who saw a 23.27 percent reduction,\u201d the researchers found.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese findings suggest that expanded access to cannabis through MCD and RCL is associated with lower [non-fatal opioid overdoses among] adults with employer-sponsored insurance,\u201d the study said. \u201cGreater cannabis access through MCDs and RCL may reduce [overdoses] in heavily impacted populations, indicating possible substitution of cannabis for opioids.\u201d<\/p>\n
Though this speaks to an increasing common theme in cannabis research as it relates to opioid use, this is \u201cthe first study to our knowledge, to examine and find a negative association of MCD and RCL with [non-fatal opioid overdoses] in adults with employer-sponsored insurance,\u201d the authors said.<\/p>\n
\u201cFindings support continuing evidence-based opioid use disorder treatments, while policymakers treat legalization as complementary and prioritize harm reduction and treatment expansion,\u201d it concludes.<\/p>\n
The research<\/a> was funded through a grant from the National Institutes of Health\u2019s (NIH) National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS).<\/p>\n The specific data might be novel, but the takeaway is consistent with a growing body of scientific literature on the broader topic.<\/p>\n For example, another research study found that, as\u00a0opioids continue to drive overdose deaths, making medical cannabis available and affordable seems to help patients reduce their use of the prescription painkillers<\/a>.<\/p>\n That research came on the heels of a recent study showing that using medical marijuana appears to help people reduce the use of other medications, including opioids<\/a>, sleeping aids and antidepressants. They also experience far fewer negative side effects after switching to cannabis from prescription drugs, the study involving more than 3,500 patients found.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u2014 Learn more about our marijuana bill tracker<\/a> and become a supporter on Patreon<\/a> to get access. It also comes after\u00a0President Donald Trump said marijuana can \u201cmake people feel much better\u201d<\/a>\u00a0and serve as a \u201csubstitute for addictive and potentially lethal opioid painkillers.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Last month, the Trump administration announced it is\u00a0moving ahead with the federal reclassification of marijuana<\/a> by moving state-legal medical cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA).<\/p>\n About\u00a0one in three Americans who use CBD say they take it as an alternative or supplement to at least one medication<\/a>\u2014particularly painkillers\u2014according to a federally funded study published in February.<\/p>\n Similarly, another recent federally funded study, published by the American Medical Association (AMA), added more evidence that\u00a0marijuana can serve as an effective substitute for opioids in chronic pain treatment<\/a>.<\/p>\n Other AMA-published research has found that legalizing marijuana for medical or recreational purposes is\u00a0\u201csignificantly associated with reduced opioid use among patients diagnosed with cancer.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n A separate paper published in October similarly found that\u00a0medical marijuana legalization is \u201cassociated with significant reductions in opioid prescribing.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n In August, meanwhile, Australian researchers published a study showing that\u00a0marijuana can serve as an effective substitute for opioids<\/a>\u00a0in pain management treatment.<\/p>\n Another study published last year in the journal Drug and Alcohol Review found that, among drug users who experience chronic pain, daily\u00a0cannabis use was linked to a higher likelihood of quitting the use of opioids<\/a>\u2014especially among men.<\/p>\n Other research also found that\u00a0legalizing medical cannabis appeared to significantly reduce monetary payments from opioid manufacturers to doctors<\/a>\u00a0who specialize in pain, 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\u00a0\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 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 The post Marijuana Legalization Is Linked To \u2018Significant Reductions\u2019 In Opioid Overdoses, Federally Funded Study Finds<\/a> appeared first on Marijuana Moment<\/a>.<\/p>\n
States that legalize medical or recreational marijuana see \u201csignificant reductions\u201d in opioid overdoses among adults with employer-sponsored health insurance\u2014indicating that a \u201csubstitution\u201d effect may be at play\u2014according to a new federally funded study. While numerous studies have linked state-level legalization to reduced opioid deaths, researchers at the University of Kentucky\u2019sContinue Reading<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":459,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"false","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[18,15462],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/86040"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/459"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=86040"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/86040\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":86041,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/86040\/revisions\/86041"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=86040"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=86040"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=86040"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nMarijuana Moment is tracking hundreds of cannabis, psychedelics and drug policy bills<\/a> in state legislatures and Congress this year. Patreon supporters<\/a> pledging at least $25\/month get access to our interactive maps, charts and hearing calendar so they don\u2019t miss any developments.<\/strong><\/p>\n
\n\u2014<\/strong><\/p>\n
\n
\nRead More: Marijuana Legalization Is Linked To \u2018Significant Reductions\u2019 In Opioid Overdoses, Federally Funded Study Finds<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"