study finds hospitalizations for opioid overdose decrease in mmj states

[t-pain]

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28259087

 

RESULTS: 

Hospitalizations related to marijuana and OPR increased sharply by 300% on average in all states. Medical marijuana legalization was associated with 23% (p=0.008) and 13% (p=0.025) reductions in hospitalizations related to opioid dependence or abuse and OPR overdose, respectively; lagged effects were observed after policy implementation. The operation of medical marijuana dispensaries had no independent impacts on OPR-related hospitalizations. Medical marijuana polices had no associations with marijuana-related hospitalizations.
CONCLUSION: 

Medical marijuana policies were significantly associated with reduced OPR-related hospitalizations but had no associations with marijuana-related hospitalizations. Given the epidemic of problematic use of OPR, future investigation is needed to explore the causal pathways of these findings.

[Restorium2]

Related background;

Study: Opioid Use Decreases in States that Legalize Medical Marijuana

A new study suggests doctor prescribe medical marijuana in place of opioids.

By Kimberly Leonard, Staff Writer | Sept. 15, 2016, at 4:01 p.m.

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Study: Opioid Use Decreases in States that Legalize Medical Marijuana

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People appear to use fewer opioids in states with medical marijuana laws. (Getty Images)

 

Fewer people are using opioids in states that have legalized medical marijuana, according to a study published Thursday in the American Journal of Public Health that bolsters advocates' claims that marijuana can substitute for more deadly drugs.

The study, which examined data from 1999 to 2013, found an association between a state legalizing medical marijuana and a reduction in testing positive for opioids after dying in a car accident, particularly among drivers ages 21 to 40.

Previous studies have found that opioid overdoses went down after medical marijuana laws were enacted, but this study was geared at opioids use more generally. Researchers noted that those who tested positive may have been taking opioids as a doctor prescribed, and the use of the drug was not necessarily a contributing factor to the vehicle crash.

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The study used a sample of 68,394 people who died in a car crash drawing from federal traffic safety data in 18 states. It found people were slightly less likely to test positive for opioids after a state had legalized medical marijuana, which may be prescribed in place of even some prescription painkillers like oxycontin to treat severe or chronic pain.

Montana, for instance, had a 1.7 percent reduction in the number of people who tested positive for opioids after its medical marijuana law went into effect.

 

“In theory, we would expect the adverse consequences of opioid use to decrease over time in states where medical marijuana use is legal, as individuals substitute marijuana for opioids in the treatment of severe or chronic pain,” the authors explain. They also note the age association in their findings is probably attributable to the fact that most states with medical marijuana have age restrictions.

 

Advocates for expanding medical marijuana laws say they can reduce the use of prescription painkillers, which are highly addictive and can result in overdose deaths when used incorrectly. Medical marijuana hasn't been evaluated for efficacy by the Food and Drug Administration, but its proponents say it has helped them cope with pain. Prescription painkillers have led to a widespread opioid epidemic in the U.S., for which overdose deaths reached 28,647 in 2014, including deaths from heroin.

Twenty-five states and the District of Columbia have legalized medical marijuana, though a handful don't allow it to be prescribed for pain.

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Edited August 27, 2017 by Restorium2