Chris0nllyn
Well-Known Member
Opioid overdose deaths in Colorado fell by more than six percent after stores started legally selling recreational marijuana, a new study shows.
Prior to the last two years, Colorado was on a 14-year upswing in opioid overdose deaths.
Previous research has highlighted the correlation between lower numbers of opioid deaths in states where marijuana is legal to use medically. A widely cited study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association in 2014 found that states where weed was legal had about a quarter as many opioid overdose deaths as other states.
In Arizona, for example, possession of any amount of marijuana is a felony. In 2016, the state hit its record number of opioid deaths, rising 16 percent over the previous year’s numbers.
In Florida, possession of an ounce or less of weed can get you up to five years in prison. The CDC’s data shows that the crisis is still getting worse in Florida. The state saw 22 percent more deaths from opioid overdoses in Florida in 2015 than in 2014.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-4993588/Opioid-deaths-Colorado-marijuana-legalized.html