[Alexandria, VA] – Today, Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM) issued the following statement from SAM President Dr. Kevin Sabet in response to two new studies that purport to show marijuana legalization as an aid to the opioid epidemic:
“These studies fall into the same logical fallacy as other similar studies. First, they do not show directly that it is increased medical marijuana use in these states that has reduced opioid abuse. Second, they have a limited capacity to control for the effects of crucial differences in the characteristics of states with or without medical marijuana laws that could help explain the results,” said SAM President Kevin Sabet.
“The biggest danger of studies such as these is that they may detract from proven solutions for opioid abuse recovery such as increasing access to medically assisted treatment for opioid dependence; reducing rates of imprisonment for opioids, and distributing naloxone to users to reverse overdoses,” continued Sabet.
SAM has published a one-pager describing the overwhelming link between marijuana and opioid abuse. While not every marijuana user will go on to use heroin, virtually all heroin users previously abused marijuana. We need smart policies that discourage use, get people back on their feet, and restore people to participate in and contribute to society. States that have legalized marijuana, by contrast, see increased drugged driving, increased arrests of minority youth, and increased emergency room visits. Colorado’s opioid deaths have doubled between 2011-15.
Legalization is a failed experiment.
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