Medical Marijuana States see 25% Drop in Pill ODs

Medical Marijuana States see 25% Drop in Pill ODs

Medical Marijuana States see 25% Drop in Pill ODs – A JAMA Internal Medicine study published Monday reports there has been a 25% drop in pill overdoses in states with medical marijuana laws.

Dr. Marcus Bachhuber, one of the lead authors on the study and a doctor at the Philadelphia Veterans Affairs Medical Center, said:

“We found there was about a 25% lower rate of prescription painkiller overdose deaths on average after implementation of a medical marijuana law.

It can be challenging for people to control chronic pain, so I think the more options we have the better. We think that people with chronic pain may be choosing to treat their pain with marijuana rather than with prescription painkillers, in states where this is legal.”

The number of painkiller overdoses leading to death has risen 118% from 1999 to 2011. In 2010 medical marijuana states had 1,700 less prescription pill overdose deaths than expected.

According to DrugFreeWorld.org, prescription drug abuse causes more overdoses than any other type of drug. Misusing painkillers like Morphine, Oxycodone, Percocet, Vicodin, and other opiates results in high rates of addiction and often lead to death by overdose. Opioid painkillers accounted for 8556 deaths in 2005.

Marijuana, however, cannot be overdosed on; it’s addictive properties are debatable, but not nearly as strong as opiates. Many doctors agree marijuana is one of the safest alternatives to a most kinds of prescription drugs.

 

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