Painkiller Deaths Drop By 25% In States With Legalized Medical Marijuana

A study put out by the Journal of the American Medical Association in 2014 made an interesting discovery.  In every state that had legalized medical marijuana between 1999 and 2010 (13 states in all), there was a 25% reduction in deaths related to the overdose of legally prescribed opioids.

“The difference is quite striking,” said study co-author Colleen Barry, a health policy researcher at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore.  She notes that the trend became visible in every state a year after the pot was legalized.

The study suggests that because patients that are experiencing chronic pain can substitute or suppliment marijuana for their pain pills, they are able to take smaller (or no) doses of the pills and are less likely to experience an overdose.

Barry says that it is “basically impossible” to die from an overdose on weed and suggests the substitution is the most likely reason for the reduction in deaths.

There is opposition, however.  Dr. Andrew Kolodny, chief medical officer at Phoenix House thinks it is less likely related to the marijuana substituting for pain pills, but more likely a progressive push, in general, to treat addiction.  “You don’t have primary care doctors in these states [prescribing] marijuana instead of Vicodin,” he said.

He believes that states that legalize medical marijuana are also more likely to actively treat and help prevent addiction and that it is a more likely scenario for the decrease in overdose deaths.

Whatever the reason, it's great news and the prohibition of this medicinal plant is at its end, enabling further study.

Thanks for taking the time to read this article. If you found this information helpful, please share it with your friends and family. Your support in our endeavor of sharing free information would be much appreciated.

Follow us on Facebook to stay updated with what's going Viral in the Alternative News scene. https://www.facebook.com/ViralAlternativeNews

https://www.minds.com

In States With Medical Marijuana, Painkiller Deaths Drop By 25%

America has always huge issues when it comes to prescribing pain medications such as Vicodin and OxyContin. In fact, overdose death from pharmaceutical opioids haveincreased since 1991. Apparently, it has been noted that 46 people pass away on the daily of overdoses in the US.

Since laws passed medical marijuana in 13 states, 25% fewer people passed away from opioid overdoses yearly.

Collen Barry is a healthy policy researcher located a Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore. He noted how the difference is quite striking since such statistics determine a life and death situation. Suddenly, the shift began showing as well as becoming visible once medical marijuana was accepted.

According to Newsweek, the shift began showing as well as becoming visible once medical marijuana was accepted in each state.

Apparently, it has been hypothesized that patients are allowed to utilize cannabis in order to treat chronic pain instead of relying on prescription opiates, or to supplement them. Of course, lower dosages are required  but the great thing is that a fatal issue is less likely to occur.

It certainly can be said that marijuana is much less toxic than opiates like Percocet or morphine, and that it is “basically impossible” to die from an overdose of weed, Barry said. Based on those agreed-upon facts, it would seem that an increased use in marijuana instead of opiates for chronic pain is the most obvious explanation of the reduction in overdose deaths.

Dr. Andrew Kolodny is a chief medical officer at Phoenix House stated that the reduction in overdose deaths is pretty much unlikely to be, due to the substitution of the herb. The simple reason being that Cannabis is not widely prescribed to help with chronic pain.

“You don’t have primary care doctors in these states [prescribing] marijuana instead of Vicodin,” he said.

Even though marijuana is legal in some states, it usually is only prescribed by a small subset of doctors. Due to this, the huge decrease in opiate-related overdose deaths could not be explained.

In regards to this, those who overdose on painkillers have been said to have already been addicted and, therefore, these people are most likely to take way too much. States that pass progressive laws to treat addiction may be more likely to lower their rates of overdose deaths; for political reasons these states may also be more likely to legalize medical marijuana.

Barry said:

“This is a good example of where policy change has gotten ahead of the science.”

What are your thoughts?

Thanks for taking the time to read this article. If you found this information helpful, please share it with your friends and family. Your support in our endeavor of sharing free information would be much appreciated.

Follow us on Facebook to stay updated with what's going Viral in the Alternative News scene. https://www.facebook.com/ViralAlternativeNews

newsweek.com

http://www.ewao.com