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posted by on Friday March 17 2017, @05:04PM   Printer-friendly
from the better-solutions dept.

The Free Thought Project reports via AlterNet

There's one thing that appears to be saving more lives during the opioid epidemic than anything else--medical cannabis. While government touts meaningless attempts at addressing the problem--paying lip service to the people while protecting Big Pharma's profits and filling jails--people are saving themselves by turning to an ancient plant.

Yet another scientific study has confirmed that medical cannabis access reduces harm from opioid abuse among the population. A recent study published in the Drug and Alcohol Dependency journal found that states with legal medical cannabis experience fewer hospitalizations related to opioids.

"Medical marijuana legalization was associated with 23% and 13% reductions in hospitalizations related to opioid dependence or abuse and [opioid pain reliever] OPR overdose, respectively; lagged effects were observed after policy implementation."

Researchers from the University of California analyzed hospital administrative records for the period of 1997 to 2014. The author reported:

"This study demonstrated significant reductions on OPR- (opioid pain reliever) related hospitalizations associated with the implementation of medical marijuana policies. ... We found reductions in OPR-related hospitalizations immediately after the year of policy implementation as well as delayed reductions in the third post-policy year."

The data also show that cannabis-related hospitalizations did not increase after legalization, contrary to what prohibitionists would have you believe.


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  • (Score: 1) by kurenai.tsubasa on Friday March 17 2017, @05:59PM (15 children)

    by kurenai.tsubasa (5227) on Friday March 17 2017, @05:59PM (#480522) Journal

    Drugs haven't won yet. People who cannot live without cannabis will need to think about whether they would rather die from big pharma “treatment” or die defending their right to grow plants.

    Good guys with guns are the only thing that can keep cannabis legal where it's been legalized, because Republicans with guns will be mobilized soon to commit robbery, assault, kidnapping, and murder against legitimate business owners.

  • (Score: 2) by dyingtolive on Friday March 17 2017, @06:09PM (14 children)

    by dyingtolive (952) on Friday March 17 2017, @06:09PM (#480528)

    I think that sounds crazy, but fine then: Let's also preemptively congratulate the Democrats on winning the War on Guns to defend small business owners. :D

    --
    Don't blame me, I voted for moose wang!
    • (Score: 2, Insightful) by kurenai.tsubasa on Friday March 17 2017, @06:25PM (12 children)

      by kurenai.tsubasa (5227) on Friday March 17 2017, @06:25PM (#480544) Journal

      I hope Democrats may come to understand the error of their ways now that they've allowed an administration into power that is a threat guns may be needed against.

      • (Score: 2) by Zz9zZ on Friday March 17 2017, @07:17PM (10 children)

        by Zz9zZ (1348) on Friday March 17 2017, @07:17PM (#480568)

        Thanks to some of the posters on this site, along with other life experiences, I have switched from "mildly pro gun control" to "anti gun control". Now that conservatives are literally talking about murdering liberals I am tempted to become a gun owner so I can defend myself from the likes of EF. Thankfully reason wins out, people like EF are just venting their emotional problems through the anonymity of the net. I suspect most conservatives would defend their liberal brothers and sisters, and vice versa.

        --
        ~Tilting at windmills~
        • (Score: 1) by kurenai.tsubasa on Friday March 17 2017, @07:36PM (6 children)

          by kurenai.tsubasa (5227) on Friday March 17 2017, @07:36PM (#480579) Journal

          I suspect most conservatives would defend their liberal brothers and sisters, and vice versa.

          No, they wouldn't. Not the Michigan Militia at least.

          • (Score: 3, Funny) by dyingtolive on Friday March 17 2017, @07:47PM (4 children)

            by dyingtolive (952) on Friday March 17 2017, @07:47PM (#480585)

            Dude. It's Michigan. It's like Texas with a higher failure rate. I've literally never heard of anything good happening there outside of, like, one band I can think of off the top of my head.

            I get that you hate it. But seriously, you could have walked out of there by now. Get a backpack and a sleeping bag and just start walking in a direction. If you hit water, follow it, sooner or later you're going to be free.

            --
            Don't blame me, I voted for moose wang!
            • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday March 17 2017, @07:58PM (1 child)

              by Anonymous Coward on Friday March 17 2017, @07:58PM (#480589)

              Um, ex-Michigan native here... Michigan's largest contributions are historical. Look up the importance of the St. Lawrence river and shipping some time. Water way from the Atlantic ocean to places like Detroit, Chicago, Duluth, etc. And depending on your interpretation, Ford and GM came from there... and they where.... at least at one time good? What about Motown? Yeah as of late I can admit not a lot that is any good has come from Michigan but we had our glory days once.

            • (Score: 1) by kurenai.tsubasa on Friday March 17 2017, @08:35PM

              by kurenai.tsubasa (5227) on Friday March 17 2017, @08:35PM (#480610) Journal

              It must be nice not to have any obligations.

            • (Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Friday March 17 2017, @10:00PM

              by Anonymous Coward on Friday March 17 2017, @10:00PM (#480653)

              Ok, how long before the magic happens? I've hit water and I must have been, like, 8 times round this pond.

          • (Score: 2) by DeathMonkey on Saturday March 18 2017, @07:03AM

            by DeathMonkey (1380) on Saturday March 18 2017, @07:03AM (#480790) Journal

            Well, there you go. These people actually want to strip you of your rights.

            But, a feminist was rude to you once. You really showed them!

        • (Score: 1, Touché) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday March 18 2017, @01:13AM (1 child)

          by Anonymous Coward on Saturday March 18 2017, @01:13AM (#480723)

          >Now that conservatives are literally talking about murdering liberals

          Fucking retard. We aren't the ones burning down college campuses when the wrong person tries to speak there. We didn't riot when Obama won. You bitter little slugs though, you're the ones we have to watch out for.

        • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday March 19 2017, @10:46AM

          by Anonymous Coward on Sunday March 19 2017, @10:46AM (#481096)

          I have had a lot of people ask me what I think about Gun Control.

          I am all for it - providing the words "Gun Control" means you hit what you are shooting at - and you do not hit what you ain't shooting at.

          If you aim for one thing, and hit something else, its obvious you ain't controlling your gun and you don't have any business messing with one.

          That's all I ask... if you mess around with it, know how to use it.

          A flock of people without the means to protect themselves is just about as bad as a flock of sheep with wolves around.

          I take about as kindly to removing people's guns as to declawing a cat then making it fend for itself. What's the thing to do? Meow loudly while its being eaten?

          I know the "bad guys" are going to have guns. Law or no law.

          My concern is that the "good guys" have them too.

      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday March 18 2017, @12:10AM

        by Anonymous Coward on Saturday March 18 2017, @12:10AM (#480706)

        Obligatory [youtube.com]

    • (Score: 2) by LoRdTAW on Friday March 17 2017, @10:22PM

      by LoRdTAW (3755) on Friday March 17 2017, @10:22PM (#480665) Journal

      You gotta hand it to the dems, they are the gun industries best marketing agency. All they gotta do is mention "gun control" and boom! Huge surge in gun and ammunition sales.