New York, NY: The majority of medical cannabis patients and their providers say that marijuana reduces reliance on prescription opioids, according to survey data compiled by the New York State Office of Cannabis Management.
Administrators surveyed over 4,000 providers and over 123,000 patients involved in the state’s medical cannabis access program.
Eighty-four percent of healthcare providers said that “medical cannabis should be used to reduce the use of opioids for pain management,” and 75 percent of them said that it “poses less risk than opioids.” Among patients, 66 percent “agreed that medical cannabis has reduced their need for prescription opioids for pain reduction.”
The survey’s findings are consistent with those of numerous studies reporting that patients frequently reduce or cease their use of prescription opioids following the initiation of cannabis products.
Overall, patients expressed high degrees of satisfaction with New York’s medical cannabis program. Seventy-nine percent of patients surveyed said they plan to continue with the program when their current certification expires, and 86 percent of respondents said they would recommend their friends or family to participate in the program.
The full text of the report, “NYS Medical Cannabis Program Patient & Provider Survey Report,” is available from the New York State Office of Cannabis Management. Additional information is available from the NORML Fact Sheet, ‘Relationship Between Marijuana and Opioids.’