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.
(Score: 3, Informative) by Zz9zZ on Friday March 17 2017, @06:35PM (6 children)
Hehe
it's really really hard to die of a Weed overdose
Basically impossible, I don't think there is one recorded case of death by marijuana.
As far as I know you can become addicted by using legal weed to
Weed is not chemically addictive.
This is the problem, so much misinformation due to the War on Drugs.
As for the style of writing, what are YOU on? Citing multiple studies to make a point is "grabbing things left and right and moshing them together"?
~Tilting at windmills~
(Score: 4, Touché) by Azuma Hazuki on Friday March 17 2017, @07:10PM (4 children)
> Basically impossible, I don't think there is one recorded case of death by marijuana.
What if a 200-pound bale of the stuff falls on your head? What then, ese?!
I am "that girl" your mother warned you about...
(Score: 3, Funny) by Zz9zZ on Friday March 17 2017, @07:20PM
Call OSHA!
~Tilting at windmills~
(Score: 4, Insightful) by rts008 on Friday March 17 2017, @07:41PM
Call it a gift from 'heaven', and find a truck?
Is this a trick question?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday March 17 2017, @07:52PM
Then you call Cheech & Chong and get some XXL Zigzags... And some munchies.
(Score: 2) by LoRdTAW on Friday March 17 2017, @10:38PM
You call Dominoes. Duh.
(Score: 2) by HiThere on Sunday March 19 2017, @12:20AM
As you said "chemically addictive" I must agree, but I have encountered examples of people who where psychologically addicted, so if you can be addicted to video games or iPhones, you can be addicted to marijuana. There are reasonable arguments over whether this is the correct use of the language. I don't tend to think so, but I seem to be in the minority.
Javascript is what you use to allow unknown third parties to run software you have no idea about on your computer.