Marijuana and Opioids

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/29/opinion/marijuana-and-opioids.html

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To the Editor:

Re “Northeast Opiate Crisis Stalls Marijuana Legalization” (news article, April 20):

Marijuana access is associated with reduced incidences of opioid abuse and mortality.

According to a 2015 National Bureau of Economic Research study, “States permitting medical marijuana dispensaries experience a relative decrease in both opioid addictions and opioid overdose deaths compared to states that do not.”

Separate studies also find that cannabis is associated with better treatment outcomes in opioid-dependent subjects. Writing this year in the journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence, researchers at Columbia University reported a “beneficial effect of marijuana smoking on treatment retention.”

They added, “Participants who smoked marijuana had less difficulty with sleep and anxiety and were more likely to remain in treatment as compared to those who were not using marijuana.”

Opioids were responsible for over 2,000 deaths in New England over the last year, while cannabis is incapable of causing death by overdose. Politicians should welcome the opportunity to bring necessary and long-overdue regulatory controls to the marijuana market.

PAUL ARMENTANO

Deputy Director, National Organization

for the Reform of Marijuana Laws

Washington