How has medical cannabis influenced opioid use in Utah since they legalized medical cannabis in 2018? This is what a recent study presented at the Utah Medical Cannabis Advisory Board hopes to address as the analytics firm Management Science Associates (MSA) conducted a comprehensive study examining how medical cannabis impacts opioid prescriptions for patients suffering from chronic pain. This study holds the potential to help researchers, medical professionals, and the public better understand the benefits of medical cannabis for treating ailments while simultaneously combating the nationwide opioid crisis.
According to the study, “Previous studies have demonstrated that states with medical cannabis laws have observed reductions in opioid prescription rates and opioid-related mortality. The increasing acceptance of medical cannabis provides an opportunity to explore its role in addressing the ongoing challenges of opioid misuse and addiction, potentially offering safer treatment options for those in need.”
For the study, the researchers analyzed data from 186 patients suffering from chronic pain to evaluate their opioid prescription use compared to medical cannabis use of the same individuals. Approximately 98.9 percent of the patients were residents of Utah with age ranges between 23 and 89, with the remaining patients having residency in New Mexico and Oregon. In the end, the researchers found that 157 of the 186 patients exhibited a 53.1 percent decrease in opioid prescription use after using medical cannabis to alleviate their chronic pain symptoms, with the study noting that the majority of patients who experienced decrease opioid use were between ages 36 to 65.
The study notes, “The results from this study align with previous literature indicating that medical cannabis can serve as an effective adjunctive therapy for chronic pain, leading to a significant reduction in opioid use. Studies have shown that cannabis can alleviate various types of chronic pain, including neuropathic and musculoskeletal pain, which are prevalent among our study participants.”
How will medical cannabis continue to impact the opioid crisis in the coming years and decades? Only time will tell, and this is why we science!
As always, keep doing science & keep looking up!
Sources: Management Science Associates, Marijuana Moment
