IGX

Three states (California, Oregon, and Washington) had medical cannabis laws effective prior to 1999. Ten states (Alaska, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Rhode Island, and Vermont) enacted medical cannabis laws between 1999 and 2010. States with medical cannabis laws had a 24.8% lower mean annual opioid overdose mortality rate (95% CI, −37.5% to −9.5%; P = .003) compared with states without medical cannabis laws

According to a clinical review published by Dr. Kathryn Hahn of Oregon State University's College of Pharmacy in 2011, retail sales of hydrocodone, oxycodone, and methadone increased by 244%, 732%, and 1,177%, respectively, between 1997 and 2006. The National Survey on Drug Use and Health also estimated that 5.2 million people aged 12 and older had abused prescription opioids within the past month in a study conducted in 2007.

Opioid abuse costs the healthcare system billions annually
Yet, this isn't just a problem for the abusers and their families. It's a strain on the healthcare system as a whole. Dr. Hahn's analysis shows that the average per-person healthcare cost to payer was $15,884 for opioid abusers compared to just $1,830 for those who didn't abuse opioids – more than eight times higher! These costs stem from higher emergency department and outpatient visits, a greater need for mental health evaluations and substance abuse treatment, and a much higher propensity to need treatment for comorbidities (i.e.,the presence of two more chronic diseases in a patient at the same time) which are considerably more expensive to treat in abusers compared to nonabusers.

In addition, insurers foot a big bill for so-called drug diversion, or the use of prescription drugs in a recreational manner. Based on data from 2008 in Dr. Hahn's review, drug diversion costs the health insurance industry a whopping $72.5 billion per year, of which nearly $25 billion affects the private insurance market.