Medical marijuana programs lead to fewer drug prescriptions, study finds
By OSCAR PASCUAL, SFGATE.COM
SMELL THE TRUTH Published 3:44 pm, Thursday, July 7, 2016
As the cost of pharmaceutical drugs continues to soar, medical cannabis has helped cut the need for Medicare prescriptions in states where it's legal.
A study published Wednesday in Health Affairs found a decline in Medicare prescriptions for opioid painkillers and antidepressants in states with legal access to medical marijuana, as well as a drop in spending by Medicare Part D, which covers the cost on prescription medications.
Experts from the University of Georgia examined data from Medicare Part D during a time frame of 2010 to 2013.
Researchers concluded that state medical cannabis programs saved Medicare about $165 million in 2013. The decline would have climbed all the way to $470 million — about half a percent of the program's total expenditures — if medical marijuana were available nationwide.
The study's author, W. David Bradford, believes it's not the money saved that's remarkable, but rather, the amount of patients turning to cannabis for medical relief.
"We wouldn't say that saving money is the reason to adopt this. But it should be part of the discussion," Bradford said to NPR. "We think it's pretty good indirect evidence that people are using this as medication."
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