www.marijuanamoment.net/medical-marijuana-legalization-linked-to-significant-decrease-in-opioid-related-payments-to-doctors-study-finds/
Published
3 weeks ago on
March 20, 2023By
Johnny Green
A new study is linking state-level medical marijuana legalization to reduced opioid payouts to doctors—another datapoint suggesting that patients use cannabis as an alternative to prescription drugs when given legal access.
The study from researchers at the University of Florida, University of Southern California and Purdue University identified “a significant decrease in direct payments from opioid manufacturers to pain medicine physicians as an effect of [medical marijuana law] passage” and found that “physicians in states with an MML are prescribing fewer opioids.”
Researchers developed a “novel penalized synthetic control model” to analyze transaction data involving direct payments from opioid manufacturers to physicians from 2014 to 2017, seeking to determine if medical cannabis legalization had a causal impact.
The study showed evidence that the decreased opioid manufacturer payments was “due to the availability of medical marijuana as a substitute.”
Additionally, “the substitution effect is comparatively higher for female physicians and in localities with higher white, less affluent, and more working-age populations,” the researchers said.
Opioid manufacturers and physicians that prescribe opioids are part of an enormous industry, worth an estimated $13.9 billion globally in 2021 alone according to a market report published by Grand View Research. Manufacturers and physicians often form professional partnerships that are financial in nature, as described by the study’s authors.
The team of researchers points out that “opioid manufacturers use different forms of interactions to engage with physicians on a regular basis,” and “one of the most common conduits to facilitate such interactions is through direct payments to physicians from opioid manufacturers.”
The authors highlighted that financial relationships between opioid manufacturers and physicians that prescribe opioids can be multi-faceted, with direct payments coming in the form of “consulting and speaker fees, conference travel reimbursements, or meal vouchers.”
The findings of this latest study add to an ever-increasing body of evidence that more patients are choosing medical cannabis products over prescription opioids when it is a legal option.
Earlier this year, a report found that adult-use cannabis legalization at the state level was associated with “reductions in opioid demand.”
Leveraging data from Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) tracking of prescription opioid shipments, that study found a “26 percent reduction in retail pharmacy-based codeine distribution” in legal states.
Another study recently published by the American Medical Association (AMA) found that roughly one-in-three chronic pain patients report using cannabis as a treatment option, and most of that group has used cannabis as a substitute for other pain medications, including opioids.
A separate AMA study found an association between state-level medical cannabis legalization and significant decreases in opioid prescriptions and use among certain cancer patients.
A study published in September found that giving people legal access to medical cannabis can help patients reduce or stop use of opioid painkillers without compromising their quality of life.
The same month, another study found that the pharmaceutical industry takes a serious economic hit after states legalize marijuana—with an average market loss of nearly $10 billion for drugmakers per each legalization event.
Marijuana Moment is made possible with support from readers. If you rely on our cannabis advocacy journalism to stay informed, please consider a monthly Patreon pledge.
3 weeks ago on
March 20, 2023By
Johnny Green
A new study is linking state-level medical marijuana legalization to reduced opioid payouts to doctors—another datapoint suggesting that patients use cannabis as an alternative to prescription drugs when given legal access.
The study from researchers at the University of Florida, University of Southern California and Purdue University identified “a significant decrease in direct payments from opioid manufacturers to pain medicine physicians as an effect of [medical marijuana law] passage” and found that “physicians in states with an MML are prescribing fewer opioids.”
Researchers developed a “novel penalized synthetic control model” to analyze transaction data involving direct payments from opioid manufacturers to physicians from 2014 to 2017, seeking to determine if medical cannabis legalization had a causal impact.
The study showed evidence that the decreased opioid manufacturer payments was “due to the availability of medical marijuana as a substitute.”
Additionally, “the substitution effect is comparatively higher for female physicians and in localities with higher white, less affluent, and more working-age populations,” the researchers said.
Opioid manufacturers and physicians that prescribe opioids are part of an enormous industry, worth an estimated $13.9 billion globally in 2021 alone according to a market report published by Grand View Research. Manufacturers and physicians often form professional partnerships that are financial in nature, as described by the study’s authors.
The team of researchers points out that “opioid manufacturers use different forms of interactions to engage with physicians on a regular basis,” and “one of the most common conduits to facilitate such interactions is through direct payments to physicians from opioid manufacturers.”
The authors highlighted that financial relationships between opioid manufacturers and physicians that prescribe opioids can be multi-faceted, with direct payments coming in the form of “consulting and speaker fees, conference travel reimbursements, or meal vouchers.”
The findings of this latest study add to an ever-increasing body of evidence that more patients are choosing medical cannabis products over prescription opioids when it is a legal option.
Earlier this year, a report found that adult-use cannabis legalization at the state level was associated with “reductions in opioid demand.”
Leveraging data from Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) tracking of prescription opioid shipments, that study found a “26 percent reduction in retail pharmacy-based codeine distribution” in legal states.
Another study recently published by the American Medical Association (AMA) found that roughly one-in-three chronic pain patients report using cannabis as a treatment option, and most of that group has used cannabis as a substitute for other pain medications, including opioids.
A separate AMA study found an association between state-level medical cannabis legalization and significant decreases in opioid prescriptions and use among certain cancer patients.
A study published in September found that giving people legal access to medical cannabis can help patients reduce or stop use of opioid painkillers without compromising their quality of life.
The same month, another study found that the pharmaceutical industry takes a serious economic hit after states legalize marijuana—with an average market loss of nearly $10 billion for drugmakers per each legalization event.
Marijuana Moment is made possible with support from readers. If you rely on our cannabis advocacy journalism to stay informed, please consider a monthly Patreon pledge.
www.marijuanamoment.net/bipartisan-congressional-lawmakers-push-for-psychedelic-studies-for-active-duty-military-members/
Bipartisan congressional lawmakers are asking leadership to instruct federal health agencies to include active duty military service members in psychedelic studies.
In a letter led by Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-TX) to House Appropriations subcommittee leaders, the lawmakers said that language should be added to upcoming spending legislation for the 2024 Fiscal Year directing the National Institutes on Health (NIH) to be inclusive of military members in ongoing research into the therapeutic benefits of substances like MDMA.
“As the largest public funder of biomedical research in the world, this directive for the NIH would expand government wide efforts to understand the potential risks and benefits of psychedelic-assisted therapy to this critical population,” the eleven lawmakers wrote.
“We need new approaches to adequately address the threat of trauma-related disorders and chronic pain to both active-duty and veteran servicemembers,” it says, noting the high prevalence of conditions like post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among the military population.
The letter, sent to the subcommittee leaders late last month and released on Thursday, cites the fact that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Phase 3 clinical trials into MDMA in the treatment of PTSD, which promising preliminary results.
“This landmark data underscores the need for more scientific inquiry, but it also shows there is a gap in our understanding for how these therapies could function in the active-duty demographic. The NIH active projects that involve participation by the Department of Veteran Affairs medical center system, but strengthening this existing interest and expanding it to the currently serving population will broaden our cross-agency study of potential benefits.”
“By instructing the NIH to pursue these efforts in collaboration with Department of Defense (DOD) policy, we can ensure that our research enterprise is including all potential beneficiaries, especially our military, in this vital research,” it continues.
The other signatories on the letter are Reps. Lou Correa (D-CA), Jack Bergman (R-MI), Donald Davis (D-NC), Chris Deluzio (D-PA), Max Miller (R-OH), Nancy Mace (R-SC), Morgan Luttrell (R-TX), Mikie Sherrill (D-NJ), Jimmy Panetta (D-CA) and Ro Khanna (D-CA).
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Marijuana Moment is tracking more than 1,000 cannabis, psychedelics and drug policy bills in state legislatures and Congress this year. Patreon supporters pledging at least $25/month get access to our interactive maps, charts and hearing calendar so they don’t miss any developments.
Learn more about our marijuana bill tracker and become a supporter on Patreon to get access.
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“Every day, we see firsthand the benefits of psychedelic-assisted therapy,” Henry Berkowitz, CFO of Veterans Exploring Treatment Solutions (VETS) and a retired Navy SEAL, told Marijuana Moment. “What we have also witnessed is the demand for these therapies growing exponentially.”
“We can only support a small percentage of all the applications we receive. Legislation that provides domestic access to these life-saving therapies is an immediate and critical need,” he said. “We believe that further research into psychedelic therapy is the best way to facilitate this change. Furthermore, we believe that support for this issue must be bipartisan. We are proud to support this letter and applaud the support from both sides of the aisle.”
Crenshaw, a military veteran himself who lost an eye due to an IED explosion in Afghanistan in 2012, has taken a leadership role in the congressional psychedelics reform movement in recent years.
The congressman successfully inserted an amendment into the House-passed version of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) last year that would have allowed the secretary of defense to approve grants for research into the therapeutic potential of certain psychedelics such as MDMA, psilocybin, ibogaine and 5–MeO–DMT for active duty military members with PTSD.
But that measure ultimately did not make it into the final package following bicameral conference. Getting approved on the House side did represent progress, however, as a similar amendment Crenshaw sponsored was blocked from receiving a floor vote by the House Rules Committee in 2021.
While the most recent amendment—along with another one from Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) that was also passed by the House—was omitted from last year’s final bicameral NDAA deal with the Senate, a joint explanatory statement attached to the bill did include a directive for the military to examine the potential of “plant-based therapies” like cannabis and certain psychedelics for service members.
Last month, bipartisan and bicameral congressional lawmakers filed an updated version of a bill to streamline the federal rescheduling of “breakthrough therapies” like psilocybin and MDMA in order to promote research and drug development.
And last week, bipartisan House members introduced legislation to clarify that federal “Right to Try” laws give seriously ill patients access to Schedule I drugs—including marijuana and psychedelics like psilocybin and MDMA—despite Drug Enforcement Administration resistance.
The introduction of the psychedelics bills comes amid the re-launch of a congressional caucus focused on promoting research into the therapeutic potential of entheogenic substances.
Meanwhile, an unprecedented wave of state-level psychedelics reform efforts is underway in legislatures across the country. Legislators in more than a dozen states are pursuing the issue this session are interest rapidly spreads into the medical potential of these substances.
Read the letter on psychedelic studies for active duty military members below:
Photo elements courtesy of carlosemmaskype and Apollo.
Marijuana Moment is made possible with support from readers. If you rely on our cannabis advocacy journalism to stay informed, please consider a monthly Patreon pledge.
In a letter led by Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-TX) to House Appropriations subcommittee leaders, the lawmakers said that language should be added to upcoming spending legislation for the 2024 Fiscal Year directing the National Institutes on Health (NIH) to be inclusive of military members in ongoing research into the therapeutic benefits of substances like MDMA.
“As the largest public funder of biomedical research in the world, this directive for the NIH would expand government wide efforts to understand the potential risks and benefits of psychedelic-assisted therapy to this critical population,” the eleven lawmakers wrote.
“We need new approaches to adequately address the threat of trauma-related disorders and chronic pain to both active-duty and veteran servicemembers,” it says, noting the high prevalence of conditions like post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among the military population.
The letter, sent to the subcommittee leaders late last month and released on Thursday, cites the fact that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Phase 3 clinical trials into MDMA in the treatment of PTSD, which promising preliminary results.
“This landmark data underscores the need for more scientific inquiry, but it also shows there is a gap in our understanding for how these therapies could function in the active-duty demographic. The NIH active projects that involve participation by the Department of Veteran Affairs medical center system, but strengthening this existing interest and expanding it to the currently serving population will broaden our cross-agency study of potential benefits.”
“By instructing the NIH to pursue these efforts in collaboration with Department of Defense (DOD) policy, we can ensure that our research enterprise is including all potential beneficiaries, especially our military, in this vital research,” it continues.
The other signatories on the letter are Reps. Lou Correa (D-CA), Jack Bergman (R-MI), Donald Davis (D-NC), Chris Deluzio (D-PA), Max Miller (R-OH), Nancy Mace (R-SC), Morgan Luttrell (R-TX), Mikie Sherrill (D-NJ), Jimmy Panetta (D-CA) and Ro Khanna (D-CA).
--
Marijuana Moment is tracking more than 1,000 cannabis, psychedelics and drug policy bills in state legislatures and Congress this year. Patreon supporters pledging at least $25/month get access to our interactive maps, charts and hearing calendar so they don’t miss any developments.
Learn more about our marijuana bill tracker and become a supporter on Patreon to get access.
--
“Every day, we see firsthand the benefits of psychedelic-assisted therapy,” Henry Berkowitz, CFO of Veterans Exploring Treatment Solutions (VETS) and a retired Navy SEAL, told Marijuana Moment. “What we have also witnessed is the demand for these therapies growing exponentially.”
“We can only support a small percentage of all the applications we receive. Legislation that provides domestic access to these life-saving therapies is an immediate and critical need,” he said. “We believe that further research into psychedelic therapy is the best way to facilitate this change. Furthermore, we believe that support for this issue must be bipartisan. We are proud to support this letter and applaud the support from both sides of the aisle.”
Crenshaw, a military veteran himself who lost an eye due to an IED explosion in Afghanistan in 2012, has taken a leadership role in the congressional psychedelics reform movement in recent years.
The congressman successfully inserted an amendment into the House-passed version of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) last year that would have allowed the secretary of defense to approve grants for research into the therapeutic potential of certain psychedelics such as MDMA, psilocybin, ibogaine and 5–MeO–DMT for active duty military members with PTSD.
But that measure ultimately did not make it into the final package following bicameral conference. Getting approved on the House side did represent progress, however, as a similar amendment Crenshaw sponsored was blocked from receiving a floor vote by the House Rules Committee in 2021.
While the most recent amendment—along with another one from Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) that was also passed by the House—was omitted from last year’s final bicameral NDAA deal with the Senate, a joint explanatory statement attached to the bill did include a directive for the military to examine the potential of “plant-based therapies” like cannabis and certain psychedelics for service members.
Last month, bipartisan and bicameral congressional lawmakers filed an updated version of a bill to streamline the federal rescheduling of “breakthrough therapies” like psilocybin and MDMA in order to promote research and drug development.
And last week, bipartisan House members introduced legislation to clarify that federal “Right to Try” laws give seriously ill patients access to Schedule I drugs—including marijuana and psychedelics like psilocybin and MDMA—despite Drug Enforcement Administration resistance.
The introduction of the psychedelics bills comes amid the re-launch of a congressional caucus focused on promoting research into the therapeutic potential of entheogenic substances.
Meanwhile, an unprecedented wave of state-level psychedelics reform efforts is underway in legislatures across the country. Legislators in more than a dozen states are pursuing the issue this session are interest rapidly spreads into the medical potential of these substances.
Read the letter on psychedelic studies for active duty military members below:
Photo elements courtesy of carlosemmaskype and Apollo.
Marijuana Moment is made possible with support from readers. If you rely on our cannabis advocacy journalism to stay informed, please consider a monthly Patreon pledge.
norml.org/blog/2023/04/06/bipartisan-effort-to-improve-veterans-access-to-medical-cannabis-introduced-in-congress/
- Bipartisan Effort to Improve Veterans’ Access to Medical Cannabis Introduced in Congress
- BY MORGAN FOX, NORML POLITICAL DIRECTOR
- POSTED ON APRIL 6, 2023
- Rep. Brian Mast (R-FL) and Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), along with 15 other co-sponsors, have reintroduced the Veterans Equal Access Act, or H.R. 2431. This bipartisan legislation expands and facilitates medical cannabis access to military veterans suffering from chronic pain, PTSD, and other serious medical conditions by allowing physicians affiliated with the Department of Veterans Affairs to recommend cannabis in compliance with state laws.
Presently, healthcare providers in the VA system are forbidden from making medical cannabis recommendations, even in states where cannabis is legal for medical use. This prohibition forces many military veterans to seek the advice of private, and often expensive, out-of-network, physicians.
Veterans are increasingly turning to medical cannabis as an effective alternative to opioids and other conventional medications. A study published in March 2023 showed that one in ten veterans reported consuming cannabis at least once in the past year.
SEND A MESSAGE IN SUPPORT NOWNORML Political Director Morgan Fox, who attended the press conference announcing the bill’s reintroduction along with several supportive veteran advocacy groups and is working with its sponsors Reps. Mast and Blumenauer, said, “It is long overdue for Congress to advance this important legislation. We know that veterans consume cannabis at greater rates than the general public and that many of them do so to effectively manage symptoms of post-traumatic stress, chronic pain, and anxiety, among other health issues. Further, national polling indicates that some 75 percent of military veterans would consider using cannabis as a treatment option if it were available. Yet, federal law currently forbids VA doctors from recommending medical cannabis to their patients, despite its status as a legal and legitimate medicine in most states.”
This legislation has been previously introduced but failed to make it to the floor of either chamber for a vote as a stand-alone bill. In previous sessions of Congress, majorities in both the House and Senate voted to include similar language as part of the Military Construction, Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies Appropriations bill. Unfortunately, it was not included in the final versions of those bills. This language is expected to be offered as an amendment to federal spending legislation this year as well.
Additional information is available in the NORML Fact Sheet, ‘Marijuana and Veterans Issues.’