Marijuana Dispensaries Can Lead to Decrease in Painkiller Abuse: Study
ATHENS, GA Cannabis dispensaries are associated with reduced levels of opioid-related treatment admissions and overall drug mortality, according to astudypublished online on SSRN.com.
A University of Georgia economics professor assessed the relationship between the opening of medical cannabis dispensaries and drug treatment admissions.
Dispensary openings are associated with a 20 percentage point relative decrease in painkiller treatment over the first two-years of dispensary operations, the study reported. This correlation was strongest among non-Hispanic white males in their thirties.
Dispensary openings also resulted in fewer drug-related mortalities per 100,000 people.
The author concludes, [T]he unintended beneficial effects of allowing for marijuana dispensary operations should be considered by policymakers as they aim to curtail narcotic abuse and limit the impact of the opioid ...
