Medical Marijuana States See Painkiller Deaths Drop by 25%

Medical Marijuana States See Painkiller Deaths Drop by 25%

Published on 8/9/15

Prescription pain killers have become increasingly popular in the last 25 years, and since 1991 the overdose deaths from these prescribed opioids have tripled. The DEA has made prescription painkiller abuse a top priority, but they may be surprised to find out that in medical marijuana states, since legalization, death by opioid overdose has dropped 25% annually. New research was published in August's issue of JAMA Internal Medicine that suggests legalizing medical marijuana may be one of the most effective options to replace prescriptions pain killer abuse and reduce overdose deaths. 

In the journal, the “researchers hypothesize that in states where medical marijuana can be prescribed, patients may use pot to treat pain, either instead of prescription opiates, or to supplement them—and may thus require a lower dosage that is less likely to lead to a fatal problem,” according to Newsweek.

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