April 5, 2018 4:35PM 

# Marijuana Liberalization Reduces the Opioid Crisis 

By [Jeffrey Miron](https://www.cato.org/people/jeffrey-miron) 

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Two new studies released this week find that medical marijuana laws are associated with lower levels of opioid prescribing for [Medicare](https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/2676999) and [Medicaid](https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/2677000) patients. The authors find that:

> “Medical cannabis policies may be one mechanism that can encourage lower prescription opioid use and serve as a harm abatement tool in the opioid crisis.”

and:

> “Medical and adult-use marijuana laws have the potential to lower opioid prescribing for Medicaid enrollees, a high-risk population for chronic pain, opioid use disorder, and opioid overdose, and marijuana liberalization may serve as a component of a comprehensive package to tackle the opioid epidemic.”

These studies add to a growing literature suggesting that marijuana legalization, not stronger prohibition, will help address the current opioid crisis.

##### Related Tags 

[Government and Politics](https://www.cato.org/government-politics), [Health Care](https://www.cato.org/health-care) 

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