NewScientist (29 April 2017) is reporting that a new study indicates the legalization of medical marijuana may lead to a reduction in the use of opioids for pain reduction.
In the US, 28 states have legalised medical marijuana in some form. Conditions sometimes treated with cannabis include pain, depression, nausea, psychosis and seizures.
Now, an analysis of data from 2007 to 2014 has shown that states with legalised medical marijuana spent less than others on prescriptions for those five conditions through Medicaid, a scheme for people on low incomes.
The study couldn’t prove that medical marijuana caused this difference. But no difference was found in prescriptions for conditions unlikely to be treated with cannabis.
This is important because of the opioid epidemic the United States has been experiencing of late. However, are the forces opposed to marijuana legalization willing to accept defeat if this study is confirmed through other studies? I don’t really understand opposition as it is, so I can’t really guess.
