A multi-agency study including the New York State Department of Health has found evidence that the use of medical cannabis for chronic pain can reduce prescription opioid dosages by 51%.
The study has been published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) Network Open.
The results of the peer-reviewed study, Changes in Prescribed Opioid Dosages Among Patients Receiving Medical Cannabis for Chronic Pain, New York State, 2017-2019, in combination with existing evidence, show that managing chronic pain with medical cannabis may reduce the opioid burden. This may, in turn, reduce the risk of illicit use and overdose for patients on long-term opioid therapy.
Department researchers and colleagues from the CUNY Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy and the New York State Office of Cannabis Management analyzed data for more than eight thousand adult New Yorkers from 2017-2019 and concluded that receiving 30 days or more of medical cannabis for chronic pain is associated with a reduction in dosages of prescription opioids among patients who were on long-term opioid treatment.
The study found that those who were on higher baseline dosages of prescription opioids (when they started receiving medical cannabis) saw a larger reduction in prescription dosages after eight months, upwards of 51 percent for individuals on the highest baseline dosages of prescription opioids.
Lead study author Dr. Trang Nguyen of the Department of Health said, “This study found meaningful reductions among patients receiving medical cannabis for 30 days or longer. Patients’ daily opioid dosages were reduced by 47% to 51% of the baseline dosages after 8 months. In contrast, patients receiving medical cannabis for a shorter duration reduced their initial dosages by just 4% to 14%.”
Co-author Dr. Danielle Greene of CUNY Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy said, “These findings have important implications for clinicians and policy makers. Previous research has shown that abrupt disruption in opioid prescriptions among patients on long-term opioid therapy and high dosages can lead to patients’ use of illicit drugs, overdose, and self-harm. Our study suggests a more humane option for achieving lower prescription dosages and potentially reducing those risks. Equitable implementation of these findings will require addressing disparities in both access to medical cannabis due to high cost and the high rate of patients receiving long-term opioid therapy in Medicaid and other programs.”
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