Some medical marijuana patients in Illinois say the drug has allowed them to reduce or eliminate their use of other prescription medication, a new study reports.
The study by DePaul and Rush universities was small, with 30 participants, and involved only those who volunteered to respond to the topic, so researchers conceded the results might be biased in favor of marijuana. But it’s believed to be the first peer-reviewed, published research of medical marijuana patients in Illinois.
And it provides direct anecdotal evidence of what has been suggested by previous studies, that marijuana may contribute to reduced use of opioid drugs, lead author Douglas Bruce said.
“One of the most compelling things to come out of this is that people are taking control of their own health, and most providers would agree that’s a good thing,” said Bruce, assistant professor of health sciences at DePaul. “But the lack of provider knowledge around what cannabis does and doesn’t do, the difference in products and ingestion methods and dosing, is all kind of a Wild West.”
And the study results come as the Medical Cannabis Alliance of Illinois, a trade group of growers and sellers, is starting a push for legislation allowing marijuana for any condition for which a doctor would give opioid drugs.
“This study confirms exactly what we know from patients,” said alliance Chairman Ross Morreale. He also founded Ataraxia, which runs a cultivation center and a dispensary. “A patient could use both (marijuana and prescription drugs) and see what works — that’s between the doctor and the patient.”
But Kevin Sabet, a former White House adviser on drug policy who now runs Smart Approaches to Marijuana, which opposes broad legalization of medical marijuana, said the study “reeks of problems.”
credit:chicagotribune.com
