Skip to content

LEGALIZING CANNABIS LINKED TO LESS OPIOID PRESCRIPTIONS, COULD HELP COMBAT EPIDEMIC, SCIENTISTS SAY

December 18, 2019 / Arfinn Med MD /

LEGALIZING CANNABIS LINKED TO LESS OPIOID PRESCRIPTIONS, COULD HELP COMBAT EPIDEMIC, SCIENTISTS SAY

There are less opioid prescriptions on average in U.S. states where medical and recreational marijuana are legal, research has revealed.

Access to recreational cannabis in the U.S. was tied with a 11.8 percent lower rate of opioids prescriptions each day, and 4.2 percent for medical marijuana. The authors of the paper published in the Journal of Health Economics said recreational weed laws could make it easier for patients to access the drug, and use it to treat pain and other conditions.

Both types of law also appeared to cut down the total number of patients receiving opioids, as well as the total days opioids were supplied, and the likelihood of a healthcare provider prescribing the painkillers. The study also showed family physicians gave out more opioids than any other healthcare speciality, such as dentists or nurses.

Read Full Article Here

Stories you may be interested in

Medical marijuana advocates concerned over recreational cannabis proposals

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.— Some medical marijuana patients are concerned the proposed framework for legalizing recreational marijuana could have a potentially negative impact on the medical cannabis program. “It’s something that will devastate the medical program in doing so,” said Jason Barker, a medical cannabis advocate with Safe Access New Mexico. A special task force delivered a…
Read More →

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…
Read More →

Three Key Voices in the Medical Marijuana Industry

As medical marijuana programs continue to expand throughout the United States, it is important to recognize some of the key voices throughout the industry that got us here. These individuals range from researches to physicians and even to patients who started their own advocacy group. Keep reading to learn about just three of the many…
Read More →

Texas House Bill 3703: What You Need to Know

The state of Texas has been in the news in recent months as the legislature review House Bill 3703. This bill relates to “the prescription of low-THC cannabis for medical use by certain qualified physicians to patients with [specific] qualifying conditions”. Originally filed in March of 2019, this bill made its way through the house…
Read More →

Thanks to the Farm Bill, Hemp Is Legal. Here’s What It Means for CBD.

On Tuesday, the Senate voted to approve a new an $867 billion farm bill, and on Wednesday, it passed in Congress. While the bill has plenty of positive merits, the one people are perhaps most excited about is the fact that it will legalize the production, sale, and distribution of industrial hemp at a federal…
Read More →

Data Migration During EMR Changes

One of the most challenging aspects when deciding to switch to a new EMR system is how to get existing data from the old system to the new system safely, securely and accurately.  Many times, the scope of this task is enough to force providers to remain with a subpar vendor even though there are…
Read More →

Leave a Comment

You must be logged in to post a comment.