Medical Cannabis Dispensary Openings Were Linked to Significant Drops in Opioid Prescribing for Cancer Patients

Medical cannabis dispensary openings were associated with a reduction of 41 fewer patients per 10,000 with opioid prescriptions, 2.54 fewer days of supply per prescription, and 0.099 fewer prescriptions per patient. Recreational dispensary openings showed smaller but still significant reductions. The association was consistent across age, race/ethnicity, and sex subgroups.

Cross-sectional study using Optum's Clinformatics Data Mart (2007-2020) with a synthetic control method to estimate the association of state-level cannabis dispensary openings with opioid dispensing among commercially insured cancer patients aged 18-64. Published in JAMA Health Forum.

Cancer pain is a major driver of opioid prescribing, and the opioid crisis has highlighted the need for alternatives. This large-scale study from JAMA Health Forum provides some of the strongest evidence to date that cannabis access may reduce opioid reliance in this population.

This adds to a growing body of evidence that cannabis access may function as an opioid substitute for pain management. The finding that medical dispensaries had larger effects than recreational ones suggests that medical cannabis programs may more directly facilitate opioid reduction.

Observational design cannot prove cannabis caused the reduction. Uses insurance claims data, which may not capture all opioid or cannabis use. Commercially insured population may differ from uninsured or Medicaid populations. Cannot determine if cannabis is actually effective for cancer pain.