Study: Readily Available Medical Marijuana May Reduce Opioid Deaths

State laws allowing the sale of medical marijuana from dispensaries are associated with a decrease in opioid overdose deaths, research has shown, but a new study finds the trend disappears when dispensaries are more tightly regulated. The study found that legalizing medical marijuana was associated with lower levels of opioid deaths in states where medical marijuana was readily available through dispensaries. Opioid death rates were not lower in states that allowed patients and caregivers only to grow their own medical marijuana. “These findings suggest that broader access to medical m...