Medical marijuana access may lower opioid prescriptions

Abstract

To curb the U.S. opioid crisis, policy-makers have targeted one of its major causes—rampant opioid prescribing—by restricting opioid access. Yet this move has unintentionally pushed some to seek more dangerous alternatives. Now, researchers say a solution may be to increase access to a safer alternative for treating pain: marijuana. People get fewer opioid prescriptions in states that have legalized cannabis use, according to two investigations looking at Medicaid (low-income populations) and Medicare Part D (populations 65 years or older) enrollees (JAMA Int. Med. 2018, DOI: 10.1001/jamainternmed.2018.1007 and DOI: 10.1001/jamainternmed.2018.0266). The Medicaid study showed a 6% lower opioid prescribing rate in states that allow medical cannabis use compared with states without such laws. The Medicare report observed a 7% reduction in daily opioid doses dispensed when states permitted home cultivation and a 14% drop once marijuana dispensaries opened. However, marijuana is an illicit drug akin to heroin ...