TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2020//
TI  - In our war against the opioid epidemic, could "weed" be a winner?
JO  - Expert review of pharmacoeconomics and outcomes research
A1  - Ding, Delaney D.
A1  - Balkrishnan, Rajesh
A1  - Diaby, Vakaramoko
SP  - ePub
EP  - ePub
VL  - ePub
IS  - ePub
N2  - INTRODUCTION: The opioid epidemic has resulted in the deaths of millions of Americans and was declared a public health emergency in 2017. In response, many states have enacted policies and analyzed various interventions for harm reduction and overdose prevention, which have embraced limited success. With more states legalizing medical marijuana, another intervention of interest in pain management, much research has since focused on the potential for medical marijuana laws (MMLs) to curb the opioid epidemic. Nonetheless, marijuana legalization and its use for medical purposes has been a polarizing debate from ethical, social, and clinical perspectives.     AREAS COVERED: We examine evidence on the merits of medical marijuana to address its potential as a diversion from prescription painkillers. Additionally, we review the impact of MMLs on opioid-related outcomes. Furthermore, we provide multi-layered recommendations for future directions in the evaluation of medical marijuana and MMLs as potential mitigators of the opioid epidemic.     EXPERT OPINION: Despite limited and mixed evidence of efficacy, medical marijuana may still play an important role in addressing the opioid epidemic in the United States. Furthermore, we believe coordinated responses among the federal government, states, researchers, and patients are crucial in producing more robust evaluations of medical marijuana and MMLs.<p />  <p>Language: en</p>
LA  - en
SN  - 1473-7167
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/14737167.2020.1807944
ID  - ref1
ER  -