Explore More Than Just This Free Article

This article is a glimpse of the exclusive insights we provide daily to industry leaders. Dive deeper into our industry-specific reports and uncover the strategic information you need.

Industry Intelligence needs the contact information you provide to us to contact you about our products and services. You may unsubscribe from these communications at any time. For information on how to unsubscribe, as well as our privacy practices and commitment to protecting your privacy, please review our Privacy Policy.

Analysis: Pain Patients Enrolled in Utah’s Medical Cannabis Program Significantly Reduce Their Use of Opioids

December 12, 2024 (press release) –

Salt Lake City, UT: Chronic pain patients enrolled in Utah’s medical cannabis access program significantly reduce their opioid intake, according to an analysis provided to the state’s Medical Cannabis Advisory Board.

Researchers assessed prescription opioid use trends in 157 patients enrolled in the program. They reported: “In this population, 157 patients (84.4 percent) showed a decrease in Morphine Milligram Equivalents (MME) per month after starting cannabis use. Specifically, there was a 53.1 percent reduction. The mean MME/month in the period before cannabis use was 3832 MMD/Month, and after starting cannabis we observed a mean of 1798 MME/Month.”

Analysts also acknowledged that opioid-related overdose deaths fell significantly following the adoption of the cannabis access program. “This shift suggests that the introduction of cannabis as a therapeutic alternative may have contributed to a reduction in opioid use among patients seeking pain relief,” they wrote.

Numerous other studies have similarly documented reduced opioid use in pain patients following their use of medical cannabis.

The study’s authors concluded, “The results from this study align with previous literature indicating that medical cannabis can serve as an effective adjunctive therapy for chronic pain, leading to a significant reduction in opioid use.”

Full text of the analysis, “Impact of Cannabis on Opioid Prescriptions in Chronic Pain: Insights from Recent Research in Utah,” is available online. Additional information is available from the NORML Fact Sheet, ‘.’

* All content is copyrighted by Industry Intelligence, or the original respective author or source. You may not recirculate, redistrubte or publish the analysis and presentation included in the service without Industry Intelligence's prior written consent. Please review our terms of use.

See our dashboard in action - schedule an demo with Jason
Jason Irving
Jason Irving
- SVP Enterprise Solutions -

We offer built-to-order r&d/patents coverage for our clients. Contact us for a free consultation.

About Us

We deliver market news & information relevant to your business.

We monitor all your market drivers.

We aggregate, curate, filter and map your specific needs.

We deliver the right information to the right person at the right time.

Our Contacts

1990 S Bundy Dr. Suite #380,
Los Angeles, CA 90025

+1 (310) 553 0008

About Cookies On This Site

This website stores cookies on your computer. These cookies are used to improve your website experience and provide more personalized services to you, both on this website and through other media. To find out more about the cookies we use, see our Privacy Policy. We won't track your information when you visit our site. But in order to comply with your preferences, we'll have to use just one tiny cookie so that you're not asked to make this choice again.