Can Medical Marijuana Help Stop the Opiate Epidemic in MA?

Thursday, September 04, 2014

Nicholas Handy, GoLocalWorcester Contributor

New research suggests that medical marijuana could be an option to help curb and even eliminate problems associated with the heroin epidemic currently plaguing the nation.

This research, published on the JAMA Internal Medicine website, shows that states that have enacted successful medical marijuana programs prior to 2010 have a 24.8-percent lower annual death rate from opioid overdoses than states where medical marijuana was illegal prior to 2010.

“In summary, although we found a lower mean annual rate of opioid analgesic mortality in states with medical cannabis laws, a direct causal link cannot be established,” wrote the authors - lead by Dr. Marcus A. Bachhuber at the Philadelphia Veterans Affairs Medical Center - in the study. “If the relationship between medical cannabis laws and opioid analgesic overdose mortality is substantiated in further work, enactment of laws to allow for use of medical cannabis may be advocated as part of a comprehensive package of policies to reduce the population risk of opioid analgesics.”

The research that was published is not in anyway saying that heroin overdoses and medical marijuana use are linked, but it does raise a lot of interesting points about the role of opiates as a pain relief treatment option. According to the CDC, the percentage of patients who receive opiates for non-cancer pain has doubled over the past decade, which is why many are looking to alternative options to curb the heroin epidemic, as many heroin users begin their addiction though opiate prescriptions.

Better Option for Patients

The study certainly opens the eyes of some who may not have known the potential benefits of medical marijuana as a pain relieving substance, but according Matt Simon, the New England Political Director for the Marijuana Policy Project, this is something that patients have been talking about for a long time now.

While not arguing that there is a small level and risk of addiction to marijuana, Simon says that there is nowhere near the risks that are presented when one is taking an opiate for pain relieve. Because of this, medical marijuana can present itself as a natural medication with the same upside for patients, lacking potential for addiction and death; according to Simon, he has never seen or heard of a marijuana overdose or death resulting from taking in too much of the drug.

“We have been hearing for a long time now from patients that medical marijuana is an effective treatment option for pain and can even help pull people away from dangerously addictive opiates,” said Simon. “There is no question that marijuana is less dangerous than opiates. Marijuana is also a much less addictive substance; some may become addicted but it isn’t to the levels and dependency of opiates.”

More Studies Needed

While the study certainly shows that there could be a link between medical marijuana implementation and a reduction in opiate overdoses, the study fully admits that there is no direct correlation found between the two.

Because of this, Maryanne Frangules, the Executive Director of the Massachusetts Organization for Addiction Recovery, says that more studies and research is needed in order to determine whether or not this link is factual. While it could certainly benefit reducing or even eliminating opiate addictions in the future, Frangules says that people should also use caution when looking at the study results.

“I find the study to be very interesting,” said Frangules. “I clearly want more information because after all, this is only one study. We are definitely concerned about young people’s use of medical marijuana so we want to make sure any changes made are to better public health. All I can say is that in both cases these are still mind-altering substances, something we don’t need anymore of in the state.”