Twenty-seven percent of respondents also said that cannabis reduced their use of other illegal drugs.
Nearly three-quarters of cannabis consumers say that the use of marijuana mitigates their need for prescription pain medications, according to survey data compiled by researchers affiliated with Ohio State University’s Moritz College of Law.
Of the approximately 3,500 consumers surveyed, 78% agreed with the statement, “Using marijuana has reduced my need to use prescription painkillers.” Twenty-seven percent of respondents also said that cannabis reduced their use of other illegal drugs.
The survey’s findings are consistent with those of numerous others reporting that those who consume cannabis frequently reduce their use of opioid medications and other controlled substances.
Specifically, a 2022 study published in the journal Health Economics reported that marijuana legalization is associated with “significant reductions in the volume of prescriptions within the drug classes that align with the medical indications for pain, depression, anxiety, sleep, psychosis, and seizures.”
A more recent assessment of Canadian medical cannabis patients finds that marijuana access is associated with decreasing use of opioids, alcohol, tobacco, and other controlled substances.
This summary was republished from NORML. Full text of the study, “Using marijuana to reduce the use of prescription painkillers and other illicit drugs: Results from an Ohio survey,” is available from SSRN. Additional information is available from the NORML Fact Sheet, ‘Relationship Between Marijuana and Opioids.’
