Medical Marijuana Might Reduce Opioid Overdose Mortality Rate

by Tanya Campbell

 

 

Senator Elizabeth Warren has urged authorities to carry out an investigation into the use of medical marijuana to reduce the mortality rate due to the overdose of opioid. While Warren’s recommendation has attracted press attention, it has also received support from Dr. Simon Haroutounian of the Washington University School of Medicine.

She revealed that due to recent legislations on restricting the use of marijuana, there will be an increase in opioid addiction cases, resulting in complexities and deaths.

The outbreak of deaths due to the overdose of opiate led to a significant research in 2014 that revealed a considerably less mortality rate due to overdose of opiate pain medications in states where the use of medical marijuana has been legalized.

Medical marijuana use can be used for treating pain as well. An average annual reduction of 24.8% was noted in opiate overdose mortality rate in states with medical mortality usage.

Dr. Haroutounian explained the outcomes of the research. Patients suffering from rigorous treatment resistant pain were told to partially substitute their opioid medication with marijuana. The outcome was a slight, but considerable amount of reduction in pain with the intake of marijuana.

At the end of the research, 44% of the patients involved in the study completely stopped the intake of opioid, while several decreased the consumption of opiate. This explanation reveals the reason behind the reduction of mortality rate due to overdose of opioid in states that permitted the use of marijuana for medical purpose.

Though every medication has its adverse and side-effects, no critical side-effects of marijuana have been known till date. Several medications prescribed by physiatrists have fatal side-effects and still marijuana, which has comparatively lesser severe side-effects, has gained so much of traction and opposition.

Therefore, Dr. Simon Haroutounian supports Sen. Warren in her struggle to use marijuana for treating pain in an effort to reduce opioid overdose mortality rates.