WEED FEED / John Ross Ferrara / Monday, May 7, 2018 @ 10 a.m.
Weed Feed: Medical Cannabis Laws Connected to 'Significant' Reduction in Prescription Opioid Use, New Study Finds
![](/loco-media/cache/11/00/1100a2557a33e59b3e9d23869573926e.jpg)
Prescription opioids. Photo by K-State Research and Extension.
Patients are less likely to use prescription opioids in states with medical marijuana laws, a new study finds.
According to a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association last month, Medicare Part D prescriptions for all opioids decreased by about 1.8 million daily doses per year in states with in-home medical cannabis cultivation laws, and by 3.7 million daily doses per year in states with cannabis dispensaries.
“Medical cannabis laws are associated with significant reductions in opioid prescribing,” the study concluded. “This finding was particularly strong in states that permit dispensaries, and for reductions in hydrocodone and morphine prescriptions.”
The study comes as America finds itself in the midst of what many are calling an “opioid crisis.”
CNN reports that 115 American die of opioid overdoses every day, and that 2.5 million Americans are addicted to the drug. Opioid-related deaths have reportedly increased by 15.6 percent from 2014 to 2015, and by almost 320 percent between 2000 and 2015.
Trump discuses America’s “opioid crisis” in August of last year.
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The Weed Feed is a weekly column written by John Ross Ferrara.
The Weed Feed is a one-stop shop for the best local and national cannabis news.
Each week, original content will be posted to the page, as well as various other stories from around the country.
These aggregated stories are organized into six separate sections. The News (basic news), The Biz (financial news), The Life (features), The Game (sports), The Fame (celebrity), and the Grub (food).
The News
The Biz
The Life
The Game
The Fame
The Grub
The Humboldt Chronicles
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- A Chat With Jesse Duncan
- September NEWS ROUNDUP!
- Trad Ag Vs Canna Ag
- A Fabulous News Roundup
- All About Budtending
- A Conversation With Papa & Barkley
- Revisiting A Market Disruption
From the Outpost
- Supervisors Receive Report on the Declining Cannabis Industry and its Watershed Impacts, Then Vote to Shut Down a Nuisance Farm
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- Bro, Harsh! Recent Studies Suggest Weed Strains Are Meaningless, CBD Doesn’t Ease Anxiety and Other Cannabis Wellness Claims are, Like, Totally Bogus
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- Papa & Barkley to Merge With LA-Based Cannabis Distribution Company Amid Industry Challenges
- Eureka City Council Approves Letter of Opposition to Measure A, the Humboldt Cannabis Reform Initiative
- Judge Denies Effort to Keep Measure A, the ‘Humboldt Cannabis Reform Initiative,’ Off the March Ballot
The Feed
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- Leafly: Leafly Buzz: 12 hot cannabis strains of August 2024
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- The Emerald Magazine : Perfect Product Pairings for a Broadway Night Out
- The Emerald Magazine : Grön Mega Pearls: Supersized Flavor, Potency, and Fun
- Cannabis Law Report: New Jersey: Police officer, Mackenzie Reilly, fired August 2023 for positive cannabis test to have fate decided by Civil Service Commission this week
- Cannabis Law Report: Court: Strong smell of marijuana in fatal Sagamore Bridge crash
- Cannabis Law Report: USA: Versant Power has received subpoenas for more than 50 locations suspected of housing illegal marijuana grow houses
- Leafly: Connected Cannabis Co. Trop Z Drop Party announced for the Sunset Strip
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