The Washington Post (6/10, Bernstein) reports, “Five years ago, a study of death certificate data attracted notice for suggesting that states that passed medical marijuana laws saw 25 percent fewer opioid overdose deaths on average than states that barred medical” marijuana. Following release of that study, “the cannabis industry” took up its findings “to help win passage of medical cannabis laws in more states, even as medical experts expressed skepticism.” Now, a new study conducted by the Stanford University School of Medicine indicates that “states that introduced medical marijuana actually had…more deaths from opioid overdoses.”
The AP (6/10, Johnson) reports that after analyzing “data through 2017,” investigators found that “states passing medical marijuana laws saw a 23% higher than expected rate of deaths involving prescription opioids.” The findings were published online June 10 in PNAS.
CNBC (6/10, Turner) reports, “More than 130 people in the U.S. die every day from opioid overdoses, with about 47,000 people dying in 2017, according to” data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Because of these deaths due to “the opioid epidemic,” some experts suggested “marijuana should be used as an alternative treatment. Chronic pain is the most common condition that drives people to use medical marijuana.” In spite of the inability of medical marijuana “to reduce opioid overdose deaths, the study authors said there are still benefits to the drug” for certain people. The study’s lead author said, “There are valid reasons to pursue medical cannabis policies, but this doesn’t seem to be one of them.”
Also covering the story are the Wall Street Journal (6/10, Abbott, Subscription Publication), Reuters(6/10, Rapaport), STAT (6/10, Flaherty), HealthDay (6/10, Thompson), Healio (6/10, Miller), and MD Magazine (6/10, Gingerich).
Some States Allowing Medical Marijuana To Be Used For Certain Conditions Despite Little Scientific Evidence The AP (6/11, Johnson) reports that “marijuana has been shown to help ease pain and a few other health problems, yet two-thirds of U.S. states have decided pot should be legal to treat many other conditions with little scientific backing.” Some prescription medicines “on the market use synthetic THC to treat weight loss, nausea and vomiting in patients with AIDS or cancer. And researchers continue to study whether marijuana helps with PTSD, back pain and other problems.” Meanwhile, the federal government “both considers marijuana an illegal drug and a therapeutic herb worth more study.” The AP adds that some “companies are pursuing Food and Drug Administration backing for products based on marijuana ingredients.”
Related Links:
— “A cautionary tale about medical marijuana and opioid deaths, ” Lenny Bernstein, The Washington Post, June 10, 2019