Medical cannabis laws and opioid analgesic overdose mortality in the United States, 1999-2010
8 October 2014
Objective To determine the association between the presence of state medical cannabis laws and opioid analgesic overdose mortality.
Study Design A time-series analysis was conducted of medical cannabis laws and state-level death certificate data in the United States from 1999 to 2010; all 50 states were included.
Conclusions and Relevance Medical cannabis laws areassociated with significantly lower state-level opioid overdose mortality rates. Further investigation is required to determine how medical cannabis laws may interact with policies aimed at preventing opioid analgesic overdose.
Keep up-to-date with drug policy developments by subscribing to the IDPC Monthly Alert.