Opioids versus medical marijuana debate begins in Arkansas

September 18 marks the deadline for accepting license applications for medical marijuana dispensaries and cultivators in Arizona, meaning now is the time for those chosen to finally prepare to open their doors to patients. A representative for the Arkansas Association of Counties spoke with affiliates of Colorado's marijuana programs and heard that opioid overdoses dropped nearly 40% due to the available and legal cannabis. With other states having similar experiences, it's no wonder that Arkansas is considering more access for patients in hopes of reducing the use and abuse of addicting opioid pain killers.

“But there is data that suggests that in Colorado opioids are abused less and part of the reason is because marijuana is readily available,” Boyd said at Fort Police Department function earlier this summer. “Other places where medical marijuana is available, opioid use tends to be lowered. I don’t know that we have causation, but to me that is one of the potential bright spots.”