In states with medical marijuana is available, pain medication prescriptions, opioid-related hospitalization stays and age-adjusted opioid death rates have dropped. “While marijuana legalization is certainly not a silver bullet, evidence that marijuana and opioids 1/2
are substitutes suggests that access to medical marijuana may provide an alternative, less addictive, and less unhealthy means of treating pain,” they wrote.
“Opioids are deadly,” Cesur said. “There’s convincing evidence that use of medical marijuana may be an alternative.”2/2