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

Healio (6/7, Demko) reported, “After initiation of treatment with long-acting injectable antipsychotics, the incidence of arrest decreased among patients with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder and a previous history of arrest during a two-year follow-up period at a community mental health center,” research indicated. Included in the study were “132 and 196 adults with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder,” respectively. The findings were presented at the annual meeting of the American Psychiatric Association.

Related Links:

— “Long-acting antipsychotics help cut risk for arrest in patients with schizophrenia, “Savannah Demko, Healio, June 7, 2019

HealthDay (6/7) reported on “three factors” that are “tied to a fourfold rise in the likelihood that a U.S. soldier will take his or her own life.” After reviewing “the circumstances surrounding the suicides of 135 active-duty soldiers between 2011 and 2013,” investigators concluded those factors were “owning their own firearm, carrying it in public and keeping it loaded in the home.” The findings were published online June 7 in JAMA Network Open. The author of an accompanying editorial wrote that “in his opinion, ‘the safest recommendation is still that adults consider temporarily storing their firearms elsewhere while they’re at elevated risk of suicide.’”

Related Links:

— “Soldiers’ Odds for Suicide Quadruple When Loaded Gun at Home, “Alan Mozes, HealthDay, June 7, 2019

The Los Angeles Times (6/6, Peltz) reports that some “4,000 mental health workers at Kaiser Permanente will go on strike next week at facilities throughout California if they and the healthcare giant fail to reach a new contract before then.” The main issue, the National Union of Healthcare Workers “says, is that Kaiser is being too slow to enable its patients to access mental health care.” The union “is seeking increased staffing, smaller patient-to-therapist ratios and fewer patient referrals to therapists outside the Kaiser network, among other changes.”

Related Links:

— “Kaiser Permanente mental health workers threaten to strike, “James F. Peltz, Los Angeles Times, June 6, 2019

Medscape (6/6, Brooks, Subscription Publication) reports researchers found that the percentage of psychiatrists who accept Medicaid is declining while the percentage of primary care physicians and other specialists that accept Medicaid is not. The findings were published in JAMA Psychiatry. Sandra Decker, PhD, a senior fellow at the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, said, “It is fairly well known that not too many psychiatrists accept Medicaid (or other insurance for that matter). Not sure I completely understand why ACA might be expected to affect that, but I guess it never hurts to draw attention to the fact that acceptance of Medicaid among psychiatrists is low.”

Related Links:

— “Psychiatrists’ Acceptance of Medicaid Patients Remains Low, “Megan Brooks, Medscape, June 6, 2019