Between 2010 and 2013, states with legalized medical marijuana saw declines in the number of Medicare drug prescriptions, as well as reduced spending by Medicare Part D, which covers prescription drug costs.
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Researchers found an estimated $165.2 million in savings in 2013 in Medicare spending on the prescription drugs that treat some of the same conditions that marijuana may be used to treat, according to the study.
However, Hawaii’s disciplinary board issued an opinion past year that attorneys could give legal advice about the state’s medical marijuana law, but couldn’t provide legal services to help establish a marijuana business.
In 2014, a report found that opioid overdose death rates had an average of nearly 25 percent reduction in states wherein medical marijuana is legal. As doctors and public health experts grapple with the consequences of excessive prescription painkiller use, medical marijuana could provide an alternate path. Experts say abuse of prescription painkillers known as opioids is in part driven by high prescribing.
The new study, published July 6 in Health Affairs, was the first to ask if there’s any evidence that medical marijuana is being used as medicine, said senior author W. David Bradford in a phone interview.
Researchers estimated the savings from lower prescription drug use in areas that had medical marijuana laws at $165.2 million United States over the full year. Chronic or severe pain is considered a primary indicator for medical marijuana in most states where it is legal.
By contrast, there was no difference for four classes of drugs that have no impact on conditions that may be treated by medical marijuana, such as blood-thinners and antibiotics. The answer is yes, said Bradford, a health economist and a professor at the University of Georgia in Athens.
The city of Lansing is working to develop a new ordinance to regulate medical marijuana dispensaries.
In particular, the researchers focused on prescriptions for treating glaucoma, they said. The Medicare prescription data by itself can not indicate which patients were using medicinal cannabis and not using prescribed medication, Saloner said. “This research indicates that marijuana is populating exactly such a niche”. Also, physicians in these states may only recommend its use; it remains illegal for them to prescribe the medication.
“We realized this question was an important one that nobody had yet attacked”, he said.
In states that made medical marijuana legal, prescriptions for a range of drugs covered by Medicare dropped.
Dr. Timothy Naimi, a physician and researcher at Boston Medical Center who specializes in substance abuse policy but was not involved in the marijuana study, described the findings as “very interesting and provocative”.
“This process builds on the medical model, which is the backbone of the state’s program”, Bennett said in a released statement. With this disorder, they expected marijuana laws-as a result of demand stimulation-to send more people to the doctor looking for relief. “This means that something that would be rewarding to most people was no longer rewarding to them, suggesting but not proving that their reward system has been “hijacked” by the drug, and that they need the drug to feel reward – or that their emotional response has been dampened”.
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To the Editor: Bob Fedyski’s letter on June 27 downplayed House Bill 523 to legalize medical marijuana, which was signed by Ohio Gov. Kasich in June.
