Would Easier Access to Medical Marijuana Reduce Opioid Deaths?

States with laws allowing medical marijuana had reduced rates of opioid overdose deaths, according to a study cited by advocates who say New Jersey should expand access to its own program.

The 10 states that introduced medical marijuana programs from 1999 to 2010 saw a combined 24.8 percent drop in opioid overdose death rates compared to states without such programs, according to a research paper published recently in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine.

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JAY LEIDERMAN LAW

VENTURA COUNTY’S PREMIER MARIJUANA CRIMINAL DEFENSE FIRM

 5740 RALSTON ST 300

VENTURA, CALIFORNIA 93003

805-654-0200

JAY LEIDERMAN LITERALLY WROTE THE BOOK ON MEDICAL MARIJUANA DEFENSE IN CALIFORNIA

America’s marijuana policies continue to be hopelessly divorced from science rather than driven by it

...Setting aside the fact that cannabis has been used by human populations for thousands of years, thus providing us with ample empirical evidence as to the herb’s relative safety, Volkow’s overall point appears to be this: ‘Since we remain unaware of how cannabis may impact our most vulnerable populations we should continue to criminally arrest, prosecute, and potentially incarcerate everyone who consumes it.’ Does this in any way read like a ‘scientific’ or ‘public health approach’ to addressing the cannabis issue? At the very least we – and this includes Volkow – know enough about cannabis, as well as the failures of cannabis prohibition, to publicly advocate for an end to the practice of arresting adults who consume it responsibly...

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JAY LEIDERMAN LAW

VENTURA COUNTY'S BEST MEDICAL MARIJUANA LAWYER

5740 RALSTON ST 300

VENTURA, CALIFORNIA 93003

805-654-0200

Jay Leiderman being interviewed on Huff Post Live