According to a new study, patients using medical marijuana in the state of Illinois are reducing or eliminating their prescription medications.
The study by DePaul and Rush universities concluded from a study of 30 participants that marijuana helped the patients eliminate or reduce their use of prescription medicines.
According to alliance Chairman Ross Morreale who founded Ataraxia, a cultivation center and dispensary, “This study confirms exactly what we know from patients. A patient could use both (marijuana and prescription drugs) and see what works — that’s between the doctor and the patient.”
The study is believed to be the first peer-reviewed, published research of medical marijuana patients in the state.
The participants in the study were aged 45 on average and used marijuana typically to treat pain, inflammation, and seizures.
Lead author on the study Douglas Bruce said that the study “provides direct anecdotal evidence of what has been suggested by previous studies, that marijuana may contribute to reduced use of opioid drugs.”
He 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.”
“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.”
