United States marijuana legalization and opioid mortality trends before and during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic
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View abstract on PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.Marijuana legalization in the US was linked to increased opioid and fentanyl death rates. Recreational marijuana legalization correlated with greater opioid mortality, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Area Of Science
- Public Health
- Epidemiology
- Substance Abuse Research
Background
- Investigating the association between marijuana legalization and opioid mortality trends in the United States.
- Examining the impact of varying marijuana legalization policies on opioid-related deaths.
Purpose Of The Study
- To determine if marijuana legalization was associated with reduced opioid mortality.
- To compare opioid mortality trends in states with and without marijuana legalization.
Main Methods
- Comparative analysis of US opioid mortality data from 2010-2019.
- Utilized Joinpoint methodology on Centers for Disease Control and Prevention WONDER data.
- Compared acceleration of opioid mortality in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic across recreational and medicinal-only legalizing jurisdictions.
Main Results
- Jurisdictions legalizing marijuana showed higher increases in opioid and fentanyl death rates (2010-2019).
- By 2019, all-opioid and fentanyl death rates were 44% and 50% greater, respectively, in legalizing versus non-legalizing jurisdictions.
- Recreational marijuana legalization was associated with significantly greater increases in opioid and fentanyl mortality during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.
Conclusions
- Marijuana legalization at the jurisdiction level correlated with accelerated opioid death rates over the past decade.
- Recreational marijuana legalization was linked to a more pronounced increase in opioid mortality with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Findings suggest marijuana legalization is correlated with a worsening of the US opioid epidemic.
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