How can marijuana help reduce the need for prescription opioid painkillers for patients? This is what a recent study from The Ohio State University hopes to address as a team of researchers investigated the connection between marijuana use and painkillers and whether the former could alleviate the need for the latter. This study holds the potential to help scientists, medical professionals, and patients make the best-informed decisions regarding pain treatment and how marijuana could be used to help.
For the study, the researchers conducted a comprehensive survey of approximately 3,500 Ohio Medical Marijuana patients to ascertain whether marijuana use has decreased their prescription painkiller use or other drugs they might be using with the following questions:
• Using marijuana has reduced my need to use prescription painkillers.
• Using marijuana has reduced my use of other illegal drugs.
In the end, the researchers found that 77.55 percent of the participants agree with the first question while 1.74 percent disagree, and 26.78 percent agree with the second question while 1.9 percent disagree. The researchers note these findings coincide with past studies while emphasizing the need for policy changes to prevent unnecessary litigation for patients going forward.
“Several policy implications should be mentioned in light of these findings,” the study notes. “First, if Ohio probation and parole offices include a prohibition of marijuana use for individuals with a history of opioid use, those offices may want to consider weighing the costs and benefits of removing those prohibitions (and thus any potential technical violations).”
This study comes as Ohio passed a ballot measure in November 2023 approving recreational marijuana use for individuals 21 years of age or older with medical marijuana use having been legalized in 2016.
What new connections between marijuana use and opioids will researchers make in the coming years and decades? Only time will tell, and this is why we science!
As always, keep doing science & keep looking up!
Sources: SSRN, Marijuana Moment, Wikipedia