Legalising cannabis has not curbed opioid addiction among US veterans

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2025-06-14 01:00

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US scientists compared the incidence of opioid use disorder (OUD) among US veterans in states without legalised cannabis, in states with legal medicinal cannabis, and in states with legal recreational cannabis. They found that, between 2005 and 2022, OUD decreased slightly from 1.12% to 1.06% in states where cannabis remained illegal, and stayed the same in states with legalised recreational cannabis. However, in states with legalised medicinal cannabis, OUD increased from 1.13% to 1.19% in the same period. OUD increased the most among middle-aged and older veterans and people suffering from chronic pain. The findings suggest legalising cannabis is not an effective way to curb opioid addiction, the authors conclude.

Media release

From: JAMA

Cannabis Legalization and Opioid Use Disorder in Veterans Health Administration Patients

About The Study: The results of this cohort study suggest that medical cannabis laws and recreational cannabis laws enactment was associated with greater opioid use disorder (OUD) prevalence in Veterans Health Administration patients over time, with the greatest increases among middle-aged and older patients and those with chronic pain. The findings did not support state cannabis legalization as a means of reducing the burden of OUD during the ongoing opioid epidemic.

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Journal/
conference: JAMA Health Forum

Research:Paper

Organisation/s: Columbia University, USA, New York State Psychiatric Institute, USA

Funder: This study was supported by National Institute on Drug Abuse grant R01DA048860, National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health grant 21K01AT012205-02, the New York State Psychiatric Institute, and the VA Centers of Excellence in Substance Addiction Treatment and Education.

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