- New research conducted by the University of Pittsburgh and Cornell University reveals that U.S. states where recreational cannabis is legal have seen a significant decrease in the dispensing of prescription codeine by pharmacies.
- The findings suggest that legalizing recreational cannabis use could be a promising strategy for reducing the misuse of prescription opioids, which is responsible for more than 10,000 overdose deaths annually.
- However, experts argue that although trading one misused drug for another may result in harm reduction on some levels, it will certainly lead to other challenges.
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To date, 21 states have passed recreational cannabis laws and legislatures in other states are considering similar measures.
The researchers highlighted the importance of reducing opioid misuse to save lives. Their study, they say, suggests that legalizing recreational cannabis use could be an effective way to achieve this goal.
By analyzing the impact of recreational cannabis laws on shipments of opioids to hospitals, pharmacies, and other endpoint distributors, the researchers say the study sheds light on a potential benefit that has not received much attention before.
This study is one of the first to look at the impact of recreational cannabis laws on dispensing patterns of specific opioids. Previous studies have mostly focused on medical cannabis laws in specific subsets of consumers, such as Medicaid beneficiaries.
The researchers analyzed data from the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Automation of Reports and Consolidation Orders System (ARCOS) to track the flow of controlled substances in the United States.
They reported that states that have legalized recreational cannabis use experienced a significant reduction in the dispensing of codeine in retail…
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