States with medical marijuana laws saw 20 percent drop in some opioid prescriptions
States with active medical marijuana laws saw certain opioid prescription rates drop nearly 20 percent compared to states without medical marijuana programs, according to a first-of-its-kind study out of Columbia University’s Irving Medical Center.
Authors said the findings underscore the importance of providing patients with pain management alternatives, such as cannabis, in efforts to reduce opioid use.
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New Feature Updates
It’s a new feature alert! At Arfinn Med we always work to make sure we are the industry leading software platform and EMR for medical cannabis providers and clinics. Keeping with that sentiment, we’ve recently updated two features that have been very popular with Arfinn Med users. Those are the customizable consent and confirmation page…
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After A Decade Of Testing, Israeli Medical Cannabis Comes To The US
Cannabis is still federally illegal, so while more than 30 US states allow doctors to recommend it, there is very little medical testing of the substance in America. In Israel however, medical cannabis has been legal for more than ten years and studies on the plant’s ability to alleviate the side-effects of cancer and ease…
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Assessing Health-Related Outcomes of Medical Cannabis Use among Older Persons: Findings from Colorado and Illinois
ABSTRACT Objectives To assess health-related outcomes associated with medical cannabis use among older patients in Colorado and Illinois enrolled in their home state’s medical cannabis program. Methods Cross-sectional data from anonymous surveys were collected from 139 persons over the age of 60 using medical cannabis in the past year. We used structural equation modeling (SEM)…
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DeSantis OKs telehealth for Florida medical marijuana patients
TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill allowing the state’s 828,000 medical marijuana patients to use telehealth to visit their doctors. On Monday, DeSantis signed HB-387, titled “Medical Use of Marijuana,” which allows patients renewing their medical marijuana recommendation to meet with their doctors online. Currently, patients must visit their doctor in person…
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Americans Are Googling CBD More Than Acupuncture, Meditation And Exercise, Study Finds
People are increasingly more interested in CBD—or cannabidiol—than other health trends such as acupuncture, apple cider vinegar, exercise and veganism, according to a new review. In fact, the non-intoxicating cannabis compound has risen in popularity so much that people Google it nearly as much as they do for yoga and e-cigarettes. In a paper published…
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Combating Opioid Dependence
The opioid epidemic is a hot topic across the United States, along with the alternatives that could alleviate the tragic consequences the epidemic brings. Opioids, also known as narcotics, are strong prescription pain relievers such as oxycodone, hydrocodone and fentanyl. Although illegal, heroin is also considered to be an opioid. Most patients are introduced to…
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