Medical Pot Laws Are Not an Antidote to US Opioid Deaths, Study Finds

A new study shoots down the notion that medical marijuana laws can prevent opioid overdose deaths, challenging a favorite talking point of legal pot advocates.

Researchers reexamined a 2014 analysis that linked medical marijuana laws to slower than expected increases in state prescription opioid death rates between 1999 to 2010. The original authors speculated patients might be substituting marijuana for painkillers, but they warned against drawing conclusions. The new researchers included data through 2017, by which time many more states had legalized medical marijuana, they found the reverse: Those states actually saw a 23% higher-than-expected rate of deaths involving prescription opioids.

To view complete news story, click here.