A new study recently published in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine has found that in the 13 states in America that have legalized the use of medicinal marijuana, a combined 25 percent reduction in prescription drug overdose rates has been documented compared to the states that have not legalized the use of medicinal marijuana. (1)
The study concluded that:
“Medical cannabis laws are associated with significantly lower state-level opioid overdose mortality rates. Further investigation is required to determine how medical cannabis laws may interact with policies aimed at preventing opioid analgesic overdose.”(1)
In total the study found that states with legal medical marijuana experienced approximately 1700 fewer painkiller related deaths in 2010 that would have happened if medical marijuana wasn’t legalized.
“Prescriptions for opioid painkillers for chronic pain have increased in the United States and so have overdose deaths. However, less attention has been focused on how the availability of alternative non-opioid treatment, such as medical marijuana, may affect overdose rates.”(1)
The study was conducted Dr. Marcus A. Bachhuber of the Philadelphia Veterans Affairs Medical Cente and his team of researchers.
“Growing use of prescription opioids over the past 2 decades to treat chronic pain has helped drive increasing rates of opioid overdoses. To help reduce the problem, state and federal governments have instituted prescription monitoring programs and drug safety plans and tightened restrictions on prescribing popular opioids. Some of these efforts have yielded reductions in opioid overdoses on a state level, but national rates continue to rise.” (source)
Medical Marijuana Continues To Make Noise. See For Yourself:
Cannabinoids refer to any group of related compounds that include cannabinol and the active constituents of cannabis. They activate cannabinoid receptors in the body. The body itself produces compounds called endocannabinoids and they play a role in many processes within the body that help to create a healthy environment.
The information is out there, and if you do your research it’s likely you will come to the conclusion that it is absolutely ridiculous for medical marijuana to be illegal.
Our world is changing big time, with multiple revelations currently occurring at once. This is one revelation in the world of health that will continue to become stronger and stronger.
Sources:
http://archinte.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=1898878
http://rt.com/usa/182940-medical-marijuana-opioid-overdose/
There’s no doubt the abuse of prescription painkillers is one of the biggest drug problems now. Cannabis is known to give pain relief so we should be researching and using it (and other natural pain relief)
In Britain we are bombarded by the alcohol bansturbator lobby with statistics about the increase in liver disease caused by drinking but mention that while alcohol consumption has increased only slightly, the huge increase in liver disease coincides with the medical professions starting to hand out paracetamol like sweets at a childrens party, and you become the target of a hate attack.
Bad idea – DON’T legalize it. DEcriminalize.