Introduction

The opioid epidemic has resulted in the deaths of millions of Americans and was declared a public health emergency in 2017. In response, many states have enacted policies and analyzed various interventions for harm reduction and overdose prevention, which have embraced limited success. With more states legalizing medical marijuana, another intervention of interest in pain management, much research has since focused on the potential for medical marijuana laws (MMLs) to curb the opioid epidemic. Nonetheless, marijuana legalization and its use for medical purposes has been a polarizing debate from ethical, social, and clinical perspectives.

Areas covered

We examine evidence on the merits of medical marijuana to address its potential as a diversion from prescription painkillers. Additionally, we review the impact of MMLs on opioid-related outcomes. Furthermore, we provide multi-layered recommendations for future directions in the evaluation of medical marijuana and MMLs as potential mitigators of the opioid epidemic.

Expert opinion

Despite limited and mixed evidence of efficacy, medical marijuana may still play an important role in addressing the opioid epidemic in the United States. Furthermore, we believe coordinated responses among the federal government, states, researchers, and patients are crucial in producing more robust evaluations of medical marijuana and MMLs.

中文翻译：

---

在我们对抗阿片类药物流行的战争中，“杂草”会成为赢家吗？

介绍

阿片类药物的流行导致数以百万计的美国人死亡，并于2017年宣布为公共卫生紧急事件。作为回应，许多州制定了政策并分析了减少危害和预防药物过量的各种干预措施，但收效甚微。随着越来越多的州使医用大麻合法化，这是对疼痛管理的另一项关注，此后，许多研究都集中在医用大麻法律（MML）抑制阿片类药物流行的潜力上。然而，从伦理，社会和临床的角度来看，大麻合法化及其在医学上的用途一直是两极分化的辩论。

覆盖区域

我们研究了医用大麻优点的证据，以解决其从处方止痛药转移的潜力。此外，我们回顾了MML对类阿片相关结局的影响。此外，我们为评估医用大麻和MML作为潜在的阿片类药物流行病缓解剂的未来方向提供了多层建议。

专家意见

尽管有有限和混杂的功效证据，医用大麻在解决美国阿片类药物流行中仍可能发挥重要作用。此外，我们认为，联邦政府，各州，研究人员和患者之间的协调一致的反应对于做出更可靠的医用大麻和MML评估至关重要。