Association of Medical and Adult-Use Marijuana Laws With Opioid Prescribing for Medicaid Enrollees.

ABSTRACT:

Importance

Overprescribing of opioids is considered a major driving force behind the opioid epidemic in the United States. Marijuana is one of the potential nonopioid alternatives that can relieve pain at a relatively lower risk of addiction and virtually no risk of overdose. Marijuana liberalization, including medical and adult-use marijuana laws, has made marijuana available to more Americans.

Objective

To examine the association of state implementation of medical and adult-use marijuana laws with opioid prescribing rates and spending among Medicaid enrollees.

Design, setting, and participants

This cross-sectional study used a quasi-experimental difference-in-differences design comparing opioid prescribing trends between states that started to implement medical and

SUBMITTER: Wen H 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6145792 | biostudies-literature | 2018 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature