Researchers find a drop in drugs for Medicare payout in states with legalized marijuana
Orange County, CA - August 4th 2016 -Earlier this year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) published prescription guidelines for opioids in response to the ongoing epidemic, which claimed more than 165,000 lives since the initial prescription progression began in 1999. After 15 years of this ensuing trend, prescription opioids sales have nearly quadrupled, despite no overall changes in reports of American pain levels.
While these CDC guidelines can curb physician reliance on doling out opioid prescriptions, a study from the University of Georgia found an unexpected factor contributing to the reduction of over prescribing: cannabis. After analyzing Medicare’s drug benefit program and regulation across the states, those with legalized marijuana were found to have a declining number of prescribed pain relievers.
Prescription opioids are commonly used to treat severe chronic pain from injuries but are extremely addictive substances. Marijuana can be used as an alternative medication for pain management without the associated consequences of opioid use, such as dependence or death. It can also be used for a greater range of ailments, including nausea, depression, and anxiety. The key nuance between prescription opioid abuse and medical cannabis is that the former spurred a national health crisis while death by marijuana overdose is a rarity.
After analyzing the database of prescription drugs covered by the Medicare Part D between 2010 and 2013, researchers found that, in cases where marijuana could be a legal alternative to prescription pills, both physicians and patients preferred reefer. This was shown in the rate of decline of prescription pain killers over the three year period in states with legalized cannabis.
In the 17 states with pro-reefer policies enacted, physicians, on average, had prescribed 1,826 fewer painkillers, 541 fewer anti-nausea drugs, 562 fewer anti-anxiety drugs, and 265 fewer antidepressants. However, in cases where cannabis couldn’t be used as an alternative, such as blood-thinners, there was no drop in use.
As an additional benefit, the study concluded that selecting medical marijuana over prescription opioids has the propensity to save Medicare millions. In 2013 alone, the shift to cannabis saved the Medicare program $165 million USD in payouts. If marijuana-over-opioid-use is adopted nationwide, researchers estimate Medicare Part D costs could decline by $470 million USD.
Since marijuana is classified as a schedule I drug to the federal government, doctors cannot prescribe the drug. Rather, they supply patients with a recommendation, which allows them to purchase cannabis from privately-owned dispensaries.
Though critics argue this is simply replacing one addiction with another, it is important to note that conditions necessitating opioid prescriptions demand a treatment option. Chronic pain, depression, anxiety, and nausea are just some examples of debilitating ailments that can be treated with marijuana. Additional applications for cannabis include cancer, glaucoma, HIV/AIDS, dramatic weight loss, arthritis, and muscle atrophy. Research is also being conducted to derive components that can contribute to remedying Alzheimer’s disease, epilepsy, and multiple sclerosis.
Each day, 78 Americans will die from an opioid overdose. With such high mortality rates, ending the epidemic is a public health crisis the CDC needs to address. Although a controversial issue for recreational use, medical marijuana as an alternative to opioids garner innumerable benefits.
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Researchers find a drop in drugs for Medicare payout in states with legalized marijuana Orange County, CA – August 4th 2016 -Earlier this year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) published prescription guidelines for opioids in response to the ongoing epidemic, which claimed more than 165,000 lives since the initial prescription progression began in […]