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.
From: Cornell University
April 18, 2022 -- 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.
Shyam Raman, a doctoral
student in the Cornell Jeb E. Brooks School of Public Policy, and Indiana
University doctoral student Ashley Bradford conducted the research. Their
article, "Recreational Cannabis Legalizations Associated with Reductions
in Prescription Drug Utilizations Among Medicaid Enrollees," published
April 15 in the journal Health Economics.
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.
"These results
have important implications," Raman said. "The reductions in drug
utilization that we find could lead to significant cost savings for state
Medicaid programs. The results also indicate an opportunity to reduce the harm
that can come with the dangerous side effects associated with some prescription
drugs."
Raman and Bradford
based their study on an analysis of data retrieved from the Centers for
Medicare and Medicaid Services in all 50 states from 2011 to 2019, a period
that saw growth in the number of states permitting personal use of marijuana.
About 40 states have
legalized medical marijuana that must be prescribed by a doctor. So far, about
20 states have legalized personal-use cannabis for all adults, but that number
is likely to rise. In those states, Raman and Bradford found a meaningful
change in the demand for drugs used to treat sleep and anxiety disorders but no
real impact on drugs used to treat nausea.
Raman and Bradford
caution that cannabis use is not itself without harm, noting the many studies
that associate it with a potential triggering of anxiety and psychoses such as
schizophrenia. Also, patients who use marijuana to treat their medical
conditions may be shifting away from visiting their doctor and therein creating
discontinuities in primary care.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/04/220418122935.htm
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