Investigators concluded, “Our results show an objective association between the initiation of cannabis therapy and the reduction of both opioid and benzodiazepine prescriptions.”
Topic: Opioids/Drugs
Sixty-five percent of respondents said that they had either reduced or eliminated their use of at least one prescription or over-the-counter medication following their initiation of medical cannabis.
Researchers reported, “Medical cannabis may be related to a significant yet small reduction in opioid prescription medication.”
Investigators concluded, "This prospective study provides further evidence for the effects of medical cannabis on chronic pain and related symptoms."
Among those patients who reported using opioids at baseline, 93 percent either "decreased or stopped [using] opioids following cannabis initiation."
Opioid-related hospitalizations fell nearly eight percent among males during the first six-months following the enactment of legalization laws.
Sixty-six percent of respondents perceived cannabis to be "much more effective" than prescription drugs and 86 percent said that it possessed a more favorable side-effect profile.
Investigators concluded, “These data suggest that dronabinol may enhance the analgesic effects of a low dose of hydromorphone, indicative of possible opioid-sparing effects.”