Science & Health
Marijuana Legalization Is Linked To ‘Significant Reductions’ In Opioid Overdoses, Federally Funded Study Finds
States that legalize medical or recreational marijuana see “significant reductions” in opioid overdoses among adults with employer-sponsored health insurance—indicating that a “substitution” effect may be at play—according to a new federally funded study.
While numerous studies have linked state-level legalization to reduced opioid deaths, researchers at the University of Kentucky’s College of Public Health said their data is the first of its kind to identify an association between cannabis access and non-fatal opioid poisonings.
The study, published in the journal Preventive Medicine Reports, analyzed claims data on 107.5 million commercially insured adults aged 18-64 from all 50 states and Washington, D.C. from 2011 to 2021.
Medical marijuana dispensaries and adult-use cannabis legalization was associated with “significant reductions in non-fatal opioid poisonings in the employer-sponsored insured population, particularly among male and younger populations,” the study authors found.
Specifically, access to medical cannabis dispensaries (MCDs) and recreational cannabis laws (RCLs) were associated with a 15.47 percent and 11.92 percent reduction in non-fatal opioid overdoses per 100,000 enrollees per quarter, respectively.
“The reductions tied to medical dispensaries were significant for both men and women, and especially notable among younger adults ages 18–34, who saw a 23.27 percent reduction,” the researchers found.
“These findings suggest that expanded access to cannabis through MCD and RCL is associated with lower [non-fatal opioid overdoses among] adults with employer-sponsored insurance,” the study said. “Greater cannabis access through MCDs and RCL may reduce [overdoses] in heavily impacted populations, indicating possible substitution of cannabis for opioids.”
Though this speaks to an increasing common theme in cannabis research as it relates to opioid use, this is “the first study to our knowledge, to examine and find a negative association of MCD and RCL with [non-fatal opioid overdoses] in adults with employer-sponsored insurance,” the authors said.
“Findings support continuing evidence-based opioid use disorder treatments, while policymakers treat legalization as complementary and prioritize harm reduction and treatment expansion,” it concludes.
The research was funded through a grant from the National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS).
The specific data might be novel, but the takeaway is consistent with a growing body of scientific literature on the broader topic.
For example, another research study found that, as opioids continue to drive overdose deaths, making medical cannabis available and affordable seems to help patients reduce their use of the prescription painkillers.
That research came on the heels of a recent study showing that using medical marijuana appears to help people reduce the use of other medications, including opioids, sleeping aids and antidepressants. They also experience far fewer negative side effects after switching to cannabis from prescription drugs, the study involving more than 3,500 patients found.
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It also comes after President Donald Trump said marijuana can “make people feel much better” and serve as a “substitute for addictive and potentially lethal opioid painkillers.”
Last month, the Trump administration announced it is moving ahead with the federal reclassification of marijuana by moving state-legal medical cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA).
About one in three Americans who use CBD say they take it as an alternative or supplement to at least one medication—particularly painkillers—according to a federally funded study published in February.
Similarly, another recent federally funded study, published by the American Medical Association (AMA), added more evidence that marijuana can serve as an effective substitute for opioids in chronic pain treatment.
Other AMA-published research has found that legalizing marijuana for medical or recreational purposes is “significantly associated with reduced opioid use among patients diagnosed with cancer.”
A separate paper published in October similarly found that medical marijuana legalization is “associated with significant reductions in opioid prescribing.”
In August, meanwhile, Australian researchers published a study showing that marijuana can serve as an effective substitute for opioids in pain management treatment.
Another study published last year in the journal Drug and Alcohol Review found that, among drug users who experience chronic pain, daily cannabis use was linked to a higher likelihood of quitting the use of opioids—especially among men.
Other research also found that legalizing medical cannabis appeared to significantly reduce monetary payments from opioid manufacturers to doctors who specialize in pain, with authors finding “evidence that this decrease is due to medical marijuana becoming available as a substitute” for prescription painkillers.
Other recent research also showed a decline in fatal opioid overdoses in jurisdictions where marijuana was legalized for adults. That study found a “consistent negative relationship” between legalization and fatal overdoses, with more significant effects in states that legalized cannabis earlier in the opioid crisis. Authors estimated that recreational marijuana legalization “is associated with a decrease of approximately 3.5 deaths per 100,000 individuals.”
“Our findings suggest that broadening recreational marijuana access could help address the opioid epidemic,” that report said. “Previous research largely indicates that marijuana (primarily for medical use) can reduce opioid prescriptions, and we find it may also successfully reduce overdose deaths.”
Another recently published report into prescription opioid use in Utah following the state’s legalization of medical marijuana found that the availability of legal cannabis both reduced opioid use by patients with chronic pain and helped drive down prescription overdose deaths statewide. Overall, results of the study indicated that “cannabis has a substantial role to play in pain management and the reduction of opioid use,” it said.
