Medical cannabis reduced prescription opioid use, study finds

Cannabis may be the newest tool for combating the opioid epidemic.

Chronic pain patients in New York State reduced prescription opioid use by switching to medical cannabis, a recent study from the New York State Department of Health, New York State Office of Cannabis Management, and CUNY found.

Researchers analyzed the data from 8,165 chronic pain patients, who were also enrolled in the state’s Prescription Monitoring Program from 2017–2019 for long-term opioid therapy. Patients were divided into two exposure groups: those who used medical cannabis for fewer than 30 days and those who used it for a longer period.

At the end of the eight-month intervention, patients who used medical cannabis saw daily opioid use decrease between 47%–51% from their baseline, according to the study. In comparison, patients receiving prescription cannabis for fewer than 30 days reduced daily opioid use by 4%–14%.

“These findings have important implications for clinicians and policymakers,” Danielle Greene, a coauthor on the study, said in a statement. “Previous research has shown that abrupt disruption in opioid prescriptions among patients on long-term opioid therapy and high dosages can lead to patients’ use of illicit drugs, overdose, and self-harm.”

Greene also said in the statement that “equitable implementation” of the study’s findings will require more work.

Medicare and Medicaid do not cover medical cannabis because its use is not legal at the federal level (though it is legal in 37 states and Washington, DC), leaving patients to pay out of pocket for the drug.

Patients may also have to pay hundreds of dollars each month for medical cannabis ID cards—in addition to the medical cannabis itself—depending on their state.

Still, an uptick in cannabis may have positive effects—not just for patients, but also health systems.

Opioid use disorders cost US hospitals $95.4 billion annually, or 7.9% of all hospital expenditures, with Medicare and Medicaid covering half of all emergency department expenses, according to health services firm Premier.