Medical Marijuana Laws, Marijuana Use, and Opioid-Related Outcomes among Women in the United States
Loading...
Collections
Author/Creator
Author/Creator ORCID
Date
2020-10-14
Type of Work
Department
Program
Citation of Original Publication
Ali, Mir M. et al.; Medical Marijuana Laws, Marijuana Use, and Opioid-Related Outcomes among Women in the United States; Women's Health Issues, Volume 31, Issue 1, January–February 2021, Pages 24-30; https://doi.org/10.1016/j.whi.2020.09.003
Rights
This item is likely protected under Title 17 of the U.S. Copyright Law. Unless on a Creative Commons license, for uses protected by Copyright Law, contact the copyright holder or the author.
Public Domain Mark 1.0
This work was written as part of one of the author's official duties as an Employee of the United States Government and is therefore a work of the United States Government. In accordance with 17 U.S.C. 105, no copyright protection is available for such works under U.S. Law.
Public Domain Mark 1.0
This work was written as part of one of the author's official duties as an Employee of the United States Government and is therefore a work of the United States Government. In accordance with 17 U.S.C. 105, no copyright protection is available for such works under U.S. Law.
Subjects
Abstract
Background
In the context of the opioid epidemic, a limited but growing body of literature has found state medical marijuana laws (MMLs) to be associated with lower levels of opioid prescribing. However, robust evidence linking state MMLs with individual-level opioid-related outcomes is lacking, particularly among women. This finding is especially true for pregnant and parenting women, who have been disproportionately affected by the opioid crisis.
Methods
Using data drawn from the 2002–2014 National Survey on Drug Use and Heath, the study uses a difference-in-differences estimation strategy to compare opioid-related outcomes (opioid misuse initiation, opioid misuse in the past month and past year, and opioid use disorder) among all women, pregnant women, and parenting women in states with and without MMLs (before and after implementation). The study also investigates the impact of MMLs on marijuana use and marijuana use disorder.
Results
The findings indicate that MMLs were not associated with opioid misuse, opioid misuse initiation, or opioid use disorder among all women, pregnant women, and parenting women. These laws were, however, positively correlated with marijuana use and marijuana use disorder among all women and women with children. In addition, MMLs were associated with an increase in the frequency of opioid misuse for pregnant women and a decrease in the frequency of opioid misuse for parenting women.
Conclusions
This finding suggests that, although medical marijuana may be viewed by some as a substitute for opioid analgesics, MMLs may not be an effective policy tool to tackle the opioid epidemic among women, especially pregnant and parenting women.