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Contrary to sensationalized news reporting and public opinion, a study out of Stanford published a few days ago in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences shows that legalization and broader access to cannabis has not has a positive effect on opioid overdose death rates. Legalized marijuana was actually associated with a 23% increase in overdose deaths.
I suspected the initial hype of the 2014 JAMA study was too good to be true. Many people were drawing causal conclusions based on ecological correlations.
*Mod Courtesy Edit*
- Summary coverage:
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/06/190610151933.htm- Study Link [Pubmed citation]
https://www.pnas.org/content/early/2019/06/04/1903434116- Supporting information data sheet:
https://www.pnas.org/highwire/files...wire_adjunct_files/0/pnas.1903434116.sd01.csv
That's just complete bullshit. Why would anybody ever expect it to? Cannabis is not a gateway drug, and it also does not substitute opioids in any way. (There might be minor applications regarding pain where it does, but I don't think anybody ever thought legalizing Cannabis would decrease opioid deaths. Quite the contrary - people invoked Reefer Madness and pushed the gateway narrative.)