Legalizing medical cannabis reduces opioid overdose deaths? Not so fast, new study says
A new study contradicts a widely cited 2014 paper that reported lower #opioid overdose death rates in states that legalized medical marijuana.
Amid the search for solutions to the opioid epidemic, which kills an estimated 130 Americans every day, some argue that increased access to cannabis could reduce this devastating toll. Part of their reasoning? A 2014 paper published in JAMA Internal Medicine reported lower opioid overdose death rates in states with medical marijuana laws.
A study published Monday in PNAS contradicts that widely cited paper, raising new questions about whether and how medical marijuana can affect the opioid crisis.
The 2014 study found that between 1999 and 2010, states with medical cannabis laws had a nearly 25% lower average rate of opioid overdose deaths than states without such laws. Much has changed since 2010 — 34 states have now
