Beating the US opioid crisis with marijuana

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As the United States are facing  an unprecedent wave of opiate-related overdoses, the country is to find in cannabis and its legalization a powerful allie. 47 600. That is the CDC confirmed  death toll due to opiates lethal overdoses for the year 2017. Almost a 130 deaths per day.  A shocking figure that led Donald Trump to declare a public health state of emergency on the matter.

But good news, a totally different policy seems to have a positive impact on that matter : the legalization of medical and recreational use of marijuana.

When compared, the percentage of deaths by overdose before and after the legalization, in the 34 states that had previously allowed the recreationnal use, the impact is remarkable.

Mortality decreases between 20 to 35 %, especially regarding Fentanyl that is considered to be the deadliest drug in the USA.

It appears like the marijuana dispensaries and their legalized access to weed are saving lives !

A great step forward in terms of public health, especially when we know that more than 11 millions people suffer from this addiction in the US.

The difference in the mortality percentage might be explained by the growing number of people auto-medicating themselves with marijuana. These people use cannabis as a way to ease their pain, wich diminishes the risk to see them getting addicted to opioids. That’s at least the conclusion of the medical center of the Rush University (Chicago), that examined seven studies dedicated to this subject. Five of them concluding that the medical use of marijuana could reduce the number of opioids overdose by 30%.

Another conclusion is that it could reduce by 44 to 64 % the consumption of opoids within the patients suffering from chronic pains.

Encouraging observations for the USA that’s struggling to stop the opioids crisis !

Pao

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