Legal Weed Reduces Demand For Prescription Drugs

The Cornell Chronicle reports:

Legalization of recreational marijuana reduces demand for costly prescription drugs through state Medicaid programs, according to an analysis by a Cornell researcher and a collaborator.

When states legalize marijuana, the volume of prescriptions within the drug classes that align with the medical indications for pain, depression, anxiety, sleep, psychosis and seizures significantly decline, the researchers found.

Most cannabis research has focused on the impact of medical marijuana on demand for prescription drugs or the impact of recreational use legalization on opioid demand. This is among the first studies to focus on the impact of legal personal-use cannabis on a broad range of prescription drugs.

Read the full article.

Legalization of recreational marijuana reduces demand for costly prescription drugs through state Medicaid programs, according to analysis by a @CornellGrad researcher and an @IndianaUniv collaborator. @CornellBPP @shyamkraman https://t.co/mc2aVuSu6e

— Cornell Chronicle (@CornellNews) April 18, 2022