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,egal marijuana could help offset opioid epidemic-CNN https://www.cnn.com/2018/04/02/health/medical-cannabis-law-opioid-. <br /> Health + Live TV U.S. Edition + <br /> _....._.. ',; „ c .$1 %. _! some form of legalized cannabis. All of these states <br /> -te ,f include chronic pain -- either directly or indirectly-- in <br /> "4"' - the list of approved medical conditions for marijuana <br /> A - r <br /> -` % use, according to Bradford. <br /> 1" ( . ,. ) 1 <br /> The details of the medical cannabis laws were found to <br /> have a significant impact on opioid prescription <br /> patterns, the researchers found. States that permitted <br /> recreational use, for example, saw an additional 6.38% <br /> Related Article: Marijuana legalization by reduction in opioid prescriptions under Medicaid <br /> compared with those states that permitted marijuana <br /> the numbers only for medical use, according to Wen. <br /> The method of procurement also had a significant <br /> impact on opioid prescription patterns. States that permitted medical dispensaries -- regulated shops that <br /> people can visit to purchase cannabis products -- had 3.742 million fewer opioid prescriptions filled per year <br /> under Medicare Part D, while those that allowed only home cultivation had 1.792 million fewer opioid <br /> prescriptions per year. <br /> "We found that there was about a 14.5% reduction in any opiate use when dispensaries were turned on -- <br /> and that was statistically significant -- and about a 7% reduction in any opiate use when home cultivation <br /> only was turned on," Bradford said. "So dispensaries are much more powerful in terms of shifting people <br /> away from the use of opiates." <br /> The impact of these laws also differed based on the class of opioid prescribed. Specifically, states with <br /> medical cannabis laws saw 20.7%fewer morphine prescriptions and 17.4%fewer hydrocodone <br /> prescriptions compared with states that did not have these laws, according to Bradford. <br /> Fentanyl prescriptions under Medicare Part D also <br /> j _ dropped by 8.5% in states that had enacted medical <br /> ', cannabis laws, though the difference was not <br /> Ikto statistically significant, Bradford said. Fentanyl is a <br /> k synthetic opioid, like heroin, that can be prescribed <br /> ' •. legally by physicians. It is 50 to 100 times more potent <br /> -" than morphine, and even a small amount can be fatal, <br /> X. •;1^ 14,..„:0 according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse. <br /> • ,: s ''I know that many people, including the attorney <br /> r4. '• <br /> general, Jeff Sessions, are skeptical of cannabis," <br /> Bradford said. "But, you know, the attorney general <br /> Related Article: This is fentanyl: A visual needs to be terrified of fentanyl." <br /> guide <br /> 'A call to action ' <br /> This is not the first time researchers have found a link between marijuana legalization and decreased opioid <br /> use. A 2014 study showed that states with medical cannabis laws had 24.8%fewer opioid overdose deaths <br /> between 1999 and 2010. A study in 201.7 also found that the legalization of recreational marijuana in <br /> f 6 5/8/2018. 425 PM <br />