A report from Castlight Health shows opioid abuse rates are notably lower in states and jurisdictions where patients can legally access medical marijuana.
Castlight Health, an employee benefits platform provider based in San Francisco, analyzed opioid prescription claims across broad demographic categories, including age, income and geographical location, between 2011 and 2015.
Here are four observations:
1. According to the data analysis, 5.4 percent of patients with an opioid prescription in states that prohibit medical marijuana were opioid abusers.
2. In states where medical marijuana is permitted, only 2.8 percent of patients abused their opioid prescription.
3. These findings align with results from a November 2015 study published in the National Bureau of Economic Research that found a strong association between medical marijuana access and reduced opioid abuse.
4. Researchers believe the Castlight Health study's findings suggest that providing broader access to medical marijuana may have the potential benefit of reducing abuse of highly addictive painkillers.
