A recent investigation has unveiled that the authorization of medicinal cannabis correlates with a substantial diminishment in the funds disbursed by opioid producers to physicians who prescribe pain medications.
The research concludes that this drop is attributed to medicinal marijuana emerging as a credible substitute for conventional pain relievers.
The exploration was carried out by scholars from the University of Florida, University of Southern California, and the State University of New York at Buffalo and disseminated in the Journal of the American Statistical Association.
Supported in part by the National Science Foundation, it utilized an innovative analytical technique to extract causal inferences from observational data. The researchers discovered that “appropriate and regulated legalization of medical marijuana prompts opioid pharmaceutical companies to curtail direct payments to doctors.”
The study’s implications are profound in terms of pain treatment and the opioid predicament in America.
Wreetabrata Kar, holding the post of assistant professor of marketing at SUNY Buffalo’s School of Management and a contributor to the investigation, indicated that medicinal cannabis is increasingly acknowledged as a substitute for managing chronic pain. This fact could significantly transform the landscape of pain treatment and offer a path forward in mitigating the opioid crisis plaguing the nation.
Data from the study illuminated that the reduction in payments by opioid entities to clinicians was notably more pronounced in communities characterized by predominantly white demographics, lower economic status, and a substantial segment of the populace in the working-age bracket.
“Regions with less economic prosperity often experience higher instances of chronic discomfort and opioid misuse, making them critical targets for replacement therapy with medicinal cannabis,” Kar elucidated.
The research further illuminated a shift in opioid prescription trends and observed a comparative downturn in opioid prescriptions following the passage of medicinal cannabis legislation between the years 2015 and 2017.
The findings contend that the extension of access to recreational cannabis could further contribute to the efforts against the opioid crisis. This notion is backed by prior studies which suggest that medical cannabis can lead to a decrease in opioid prescriptions and potentially reduce the incidence of overdose fatalities.
An illustrative case from Utah post the state’s sanctioning of medicinal cannabis showcased a decline in opioid consumption among individuals with chronic pain and a concurrent downturn in fatalities attributed to prescription overdoses.
Such outcomes underscore the significant function that cannabis can assume within the realm of pain administration and in lessening the dependence on opioids.