JAMA Study Finds Deaths Due to Painkiller Overdoses Drop Dramatically in 420 Friendly States

According to a report this year from the
esteemed Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), fatal overdoses caused by prescription
painkillers dropped dramatically in states where cannabis is legal for medical
and recreational use.

Access to medical cannabis, according to
the study, is responsible for an overall 25% drop in fatalities associated with
prescription drugs taken for chronic pain. 
The study also expects such fatalities to continue to drop as cannabis
reform across the country allows more people to legally access the drug for
medical purposes.

Study authors in fact believe that people
who have chronic pain tend to rely on medical cannabis when they have this
option, which also dramatically reduces the risk of addiction and overdose of
other used medications.

“We think that people with chronic
pain may be choosing to treat their pain with cannabis rather than with
prescription painkillers, in states where this is legal,” said lead author
Dr. Marcus Bachhuber, a researcher with the Center for Health Equity Research
and Promotion at the Philadelphia Veterans Affairs Medical Center.

The impact of this study, particularly for
veterans as a result, might be significant in the next few years as some kind
of federal reform becomes a more reachable goal.  Such far reaching conclusions by respected
medical researchers are also likely to play into policy decisions particularly
over local bans and higher taxes in many states. With that said, research like
the analysis in the JAMA study only adds to the debate about the necessity of
access for medical patients to not only relieve their pain, but to shine light
on the advantages, both personally and societally, of continuing to supply
access to medicinal cannabis.