“While previous studies have suggested fentanyl co-occurrence in other illicit drugs such as heroin, this study finds no evidence of widespread fentanyl contamination in illicit cannabis.”
Topic: Opioids/Drugs
Study: Cannabis Therapy Associated With Sustained Declines in Opioid Use Among Chronic Pain Patients
“These results suggest that medical cannabis may be a useful adjunct therapy for reducing opioid use, relieving chronic pain, and improving health-related quality of life.”
Investigators concluded, “Ongoing efforts to reduce regulatory barriers and legal and criminal consequences of cannabis … have the potential to help reduce overdoses and other opioid-related harms.”
“In our study of medical marijuana use in Louisiana, it has significantly reduced pain and, for those using it, decreased opioid usage.”
Investigators concluded, “Medical or recreational cannabis laws may be significantly associated with reduced opioid use among patients diagnosed with cancer.”
Specifically, the patient required “three rescue doses of morphine” when naloxone was administered alone, but he needed only “a single rescue dose” when cannabis use preceded naloxone treatment.
Researchers concluded, “These findings indicate that the introduction of cannabinoids can produce useful reductions in opioid consumption in real-world settings.”
“Ten years after that first dispensary opens, death rates in cannabis counties are, on average, about 30 percent lower than death rates in counties without a dispensary,” the analysis found.