Marijuana Found To Reduce Reliance On Prescription Opioids Among Users In NY

ALBANY, NY – A survey in New York state found that the use of marijuana has made patients less reliant on taking prescription opioids to manage their pain, according to a report by NORML.

The New York State Office of Cannabis Management released the results of the survey of over 4,000 providers and 123,000 patients in the state’s medical cannabis access program.

66% of the patients said that medical cannabis has reduced their need for prescription opioids for pain reduction.  84% of healthcare providers said that “medical cannabis should be used to reduce the use of opioids for pain management,” and 75% of them said that it poses less risk than opioids.

The data is in line with other recent surveys on this topic.  Recently, a study by Ohio State University’s Moritz College of Law indicated that marijuana use reduces the need for prescription pain medication.

Current and potential Ohio Medical Marijuana patients were surveyed, and of the approximately 3,500 who responded, the results indicated that over 77% agreed that using marijuana reduced their use of prescription painkillers.

Furthermore far more respondents agreed, rather than disagreed, (26.78% agree versus 1.9% disagree) that marijuana use reduced their use of other illicit drugs.

The New York survey also found that patients were highly satisfied with the state’s medical cannabis program. 79% of patients said they plan to continue with the program when their current certification expires, and 86% said they would recommend their friends or family to participate in the program.

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