Legal Access to Marijuana Is Associated with Less Opioid Prescribing

Evidence suggests that cannabis could be an effective alternative to prescription opioids for managing chronic pain. In two recent studies, investigators explore population-level associations between legal availability of cannabis and prescription of opioids.

In one study, researchers correlated prescribing data from Medicare Part D between 2010 and 2015 on a state-by-state basis according to whether states provided legal access to cannabis or no access (23 and 27 states, respectively). In states that allowed any form of legal access to cannabis, the average prescribing rate was about 8.5% lower than in states that provided no legal access. Reductions in prescribing rates were significant in states allowing prescribing in a dispensary and in…