Medical Marijuana Laws Reduce Prescription Medication Use In Medicare Part D
Top Cited Papers
- 1 July 2016
- journal article
- Published by Health Affairs (Project Hope) in Health Affairs
- Vol. 35 (7), 1230-1236
- https://doi.org/10.1377/hlthaff.2015.1661
Abstract
Legalization of medical marijuana has been one of the most controversial areas of state policy change over the past twenty years. However, little is known about whether medical marijuana is being used clinically to any significant degree. Using data on all prescriptions filled by Medicare Part D enrollees from 2010 to 2013, we found that the use of prescription drugs for which marijuana could serve as a clinical alternative fell significantly, once a medical marijuana law was implemented. National overall reductions in Medicare program and enrollee spending when states implemented medical marijuana laws were estimated to be $165.2 million per year in 2013. The availability of medical marijuana has a significant effect on prescribing patterns and spending in Medicare Part D.Keywords
This publication has 11 references indexed in Scilit:
- Cannabinoids for Medical UseJAMA, 2015
- The effects of medical marijuana laws on illegal marijuana useJournal of Health Economics, 2014
- Words Can Be Deceiving: A Review of Variation among Legally Effective Medical Marijuana Laws in the United StatesJournal of Drug Policy Analysis, 2014
- Effects of State Medical Marijuana Laws on Adolescent Marijuana UseAmerican Journal of Public Health, 2013
- Medical Marijuana Laws, Traffic Fatalities, and Alcohol ConsumptionThe Journal of Law and Economics, 2013
- Medical marijuana laws in 50 states: Investigating the relationship between state legalization of medical marijuana and marijuana use, abuse and dependenceDrug and Alcohol Dependence, 2011
- Adolescent Marijuana Use from 2002 to 2008: Higher in States with Medical Marijuana Laws, Cause Still UnclearAnnals of Epidemiology, 2011
- Who Are Medical Marijuana Patients? Population Characteristics from Nine California Assessment ClinicsJournal of Psychoactive Drugs, 2011
- Trends in off-label β-blocker use: A secondary data analysisClinical Therapeutics, 2006
- How Direct-To-Consumer Television Advertising For Osteoarthritis Drugs Affects Physicians’ Prescribing BehaviorHealth Affairs, 2006