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

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 →

Medical marijuana: Florida House seeks to intervene in ‘monumental’ case

TALLAHASSEE — Florida House leaders should be able to participate in a lawsuit that could revolutionize the state’s medical marijuana market, a lawyer for the Republican-led chamber told a three-judge panel of the 1st District Court of Appeal Tuesday. But Tampa-based Florigrown argued that legislators instead should concentrate on fixing the law, aimed at carrying…
Read More →

Medical Cannabis and Breast Cancer

October is breast cancer awareness month and we at Arfinn Med would like to reiterate the importance of early screening and regular tests.  According to the American Cancer Society: “Breast cancer is the most common cancer in American women, except for skin cancers. Currently, the average risk of a woman in the United States developing breast…
Read More →

Research shows cannabis can lower opioid dosage, but studies are preliminary

Larson cited one statistic to justify his bill: “Studies have shown up to 75% reduction in opioid dosage for medical cannabis users” The intersection of medical cannabis and opioid use as treatments for chronic pain is an emerging field of research as more states loosen regulations on medical and recreational use of marijuana. But does…
Read More →

Senate bill could legalize medical marijuana in North Carolina

GREENVILLE, N.C. (WNCT) — Medical marijuana is legal in 36 states. Now, the state General Assembly could make North Carolina the latest state to open up the market to cannabis. Medical cannabis advocates are trying to throw veterans a lifeline with Senate Bill 711. “The veteran suicide rate is twice the national average in North Carolina,…
Read More →

Study on cannabis chemical as a treatment for pancreatic cancer may have ‘major impact,’ Harvard researcher says

Pancreatic cancer makes up just 3 percent of all cancers in America. But with a one-year survival rate of just 20 percent (and five-year survival rate of less than 8), it’s predicted to be the second leading cause of cancer-related death by 2020. Headlines about the illness, as a result, tend to be discouraging. But this month scientists from Harvard University’s Dana-Farber…
Read More →

Leave a Comment

You must be logged in to post a comment.