{"679708":{"#nid":"679708","#data":{"type":"news","title":" With More Americans Able to Access Legalized Marijuana, Fewer Are Picking Up Prescriptions for Anti-Anxiety Medications","body":[{"value":"\u003Cdiv class=\u0022theconversation-article-body\u0022\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn states where both medical and recreational marijuana are legal, fewer patients are filling prescriptions for medications used to treat anxiety. That is \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1001\/jamanetworkopen.2024.32021\u0022\u003Ethe key finding\u003C\/a\u003E of my recent study, published in the journal JAMA Network Open.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EI am an \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/spp.gatech.edu\/people\/person\/ashley-bradford\u0022\u003Eapplied policy researcher\u003C\/a\u003E who studies the economics of risky behaviors and substance use within the United States. My collaborators and I wanted to understand how medical and recreational marijuana laws and marijuana dispensary openings have affected the rate at which patients fill prescriptions for anti-anxiety medications among people who have private medical insurance.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThese include:\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/my.clevelandclinic.org\/health\/treatments\/24570-benzodiazepines-benzos\u0022\u003EBenzodiazepines\u003C\/a\u003E, which work by increasing the level of \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/my.clevelandclinic.org\/health\/articles\/22857-gamma-aminobutyric-acid-gaba\u0022\u003Egamma-aminobutyric acid, or GABA\u003C\/a\u003E, a neurotransmitter that elicits a calming effect by reducing activity in the nervous system. This category includes the depressants Valium, Xanax and Ativan, among others.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/my.clevelandclinic.org\/health\/treatments\/24692-antipsychotic-medications\u0022\u003EAntipsychotics\u003C\/a\u003E, a class of drug that addresses psychosis symptoms in a variety of ways.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/my.clevelandclinic.org\/health\/treatments\/9301-antidepressants-depression-medication\u0022\u003EAntidepressants\u003C\/a\u003E, which relieve symptoms of depression by affecting neurotransmitters such as serotonin, norepinephrine and dopamine. The most well-known example of these is selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors, or \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.mayoclinic.org\/diseases-conditions\/depression\/in-depth\/ssris\/art-20044825\u0022\u003ESSRIs\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ul\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWe also included \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/my.clevelandclinic.org\/health\/treatments\/23271-barbiturates\u0022\u003Ebarbiturates\u003C\/a\u003E, which are sedatives, and sleep medications \u2013 \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.fda.gov\/consumers\/consumer-updates\/taking-z-drugs-insomnia-know-risks\u0022\u003Esometimes called \u201cZ-drugs\u201d\u003C\/a\u003E \u2013 both of which are used to treat insomnia. In contrast to the other three categories, we did not estimate any policy impacts for either of these types of drugs.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWe find consistent evidence that increased marijuana access is associated with reductions in benzodiazepine prescription fills. \u201cFills\u201d refer to the number of prescriptions being picked up by patients, rather than the number of prescriptions doctors write. This is based on calculating the rate of individual patients who filled a prescription in a state, the average days of supply per prescription fill, and average prescription fills per patient.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ENotably, we found that not all state policies led to similar changes in prescription fill patterns.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cfigure\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ciframe width=\u0022440\u0022 height=\u0022260\u0022 src=\u0022https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/D5Vsm_Daexg?wmode=transparent\u0026amp;start=0\u0022 frameborder=\u00220\u0022 allowfullscreen=\u0022\u0022\u003E\u003C\/iframe\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cfigcaption\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022caption\u0022\u003EThe effects of benzodiazepines on the brain have to do with their ability to bind to the receptors of the neurotransmitter GABA.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/figcaption\u003E\u003C\/figure\u003E\u003Ch2\u003EWhy it Matters\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn 2021, nearly \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.nimh.nih.gov\/health\/statistics\/mental-illness\u0022\u003E23% of the adult U.S. population\u003C\/a\u003E reported having a diagnosable mental health disorder. Yet only 65.4% of those individuals reported receiving treatment within the past year. This lack of treatment can exacerbate current mental health disorders, leading to \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/mental-health\/about\/index.html\u0022\u003Eincreased risk for additional chronic conditions\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EMarijuana access introduces an alternative treatment to traditional prescription medication that may provide easier access for some patients. Many state medical laws allow patients with mental health disorders such as post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, to \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/procon\/medical-marijuana-debate#ref395545\u0022\u003Euse medical cannabis\u003C\/a\u003E, while recreational laws expand access to all adults.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOur findings have important implications for insurance systems, prescribers, policymakers and patients. Benzodiazepine use, like opioid use, can be dangerous for patients, especially when the two classes of drugs are used together. Given the high level of opioid poisonings that also involve benzodiazepines \u2013 in 2020, they made up \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/nida.nih.gov\/research-topics\/opioids\/benzodiazepines-opioids\u0022\u003E14% of total opioid overdose deaths\u003C\/a\u003E \u2013 our findings offer insights into potential substitution with marijuana for medications where misuse is plausible.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch2\u003EWhat Still Isn\u2019t Known\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOur research does not clarify whether the changes in dispensing patterns led to measurable changes in patient outcomes.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThere is some evidence that marijuana acts as an \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1089\/can.2017.29009.dpi\u0022\u003Eeffective anxiety treatment\u003C\/a\u003E. If this is the case, moving away from benzodiazepine use \u2013 which is \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/neurolint13040059\u0022\u003Eassociated with significant negative side effects\u003C\/a\u003E \u2013 toward marijuana use may improve patient outcomes.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThis finding is critical given that about \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1176\/appi.ps.201800321\u0022\u003E5% of the U.S. population\u003C\/a\u003E is prescribed benzodiazepines. Substituting marijuana has the potential to result in fewer negative side effects nationwide, but it\u2019s not yet clear if marijuana will be equally effective at treating anxiety.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOur study also found evidence of a slight \u2013 albeit somewhat less significant \u2013 increase in antipsychotic and antidepressant dispensing. But it\u2019s \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1257\/jel.20211635\u0022\u003Enot clear\u003C\/a\u003E yet whether marijuana access, particularly recreational access, increases rates of psychotic disorders and depression.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWhile we found that, overall, marijuana access led to increased antidepressant and antipsychotic fills, some individual states saw decreases.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThere is a lot of variation in the details of state marijuana laws, and it\u2019s possible that some of those details are leading to these meaningful differences in outcomes. I believe this difference in outcomes from state to state is an important finding for policymakers who may want to tailor their laws toward specific goals.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EThe \u003C\/em\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/theconversation.com\/us\/topics\/research-brief-83231\u0022\u003E\u003Cem\u003EResearch Brief\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cem\u003E is a short take on interesting academic work.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C!-- Below is The Conversation\u0027s page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --\u003E\u003Cimg style=\u0022border-color:!important;border-style:none;box-shadow:none !important;margin:0 !important;max-height:1px !important;max-width:1px !important;min-height:1px !important;min-width:1px !important;opacity:0 !important;outline:none !important;padding:0 !important;\u0022 src=\u0022https:\/\/counter.theconversation.com\/content\/244646\/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic\u0022 alt=\u0022The Conversation\u0022 width=\u00221\u0022 height=\u00221\u0022 referrerpolicy=\u0022no-referrer-when-downgrade\u0022\u003E\u003C!-- End of code. If you don\u0027t see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: https:\/\/theconversation.com\/republishing-guidelines --\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EThis article is republished from \u003C\/em\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/theconversation.com\u0022\u003E\u003Cem\u003EThe Conversation\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cem\u003E under a Creative Commons license. Read the \u003C\/em\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/theconversation.com\/with-more-americans-able-to-access-legalized-marijuana-fewer-are-picking-up-prescriptions-for-anti-anxiety-medications-new-research-244646\u0022\u003E\u003Cem\u003Eoriginal article\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cem\u003E.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E","summary":"","format":"full_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EIn states where both medical and recreational marijuana are legal, fewer patients are filling prescriptions for medications used to treat anxiety.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"In states where both medical and recreational marijuana are legal, fewer patients are filling prescriptions for medications used to treat anxiety. "}],"uid":"27469","created_gmt":"2025-01-17 16:22:39","changed_gmt":"2026-03-19 13:14:25","author":"Kristen Bailey","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","location":"Atlanta, GA","dateline":{"date":"2025-01-10T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2025-01-10T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"676054":{"id":"676054","type":"image","title":" New research suggests that in some states, medicinal cannabis use could be leading to a reduction in the use of anxiety medications. Olena Ruban\/Moment via Getty Images","body":"\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;New research suggests that in some states, medicinal cannabis use could be leading to a reduction in the use of anxiety medications. Olena Ruban\/Moment via Getty Images\u003C\/p\u003E","created":"1737131191","gmt_created":"2025-01-17 16:26:31","changed":"1737131191","gmt_changed":"2025-01-17 16:26:31","alt":" New research suggests that in some states, medicinal cannabis use could be leading to a reduction in the use of anxiety medications. Olena Ruban\/Moment via Getty Images","file":{"fid":"259759","name":"file-20250107-15-tzxryg.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2025\/01\/17\/file-20250107-15-tzxryg.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2025\/01\/17\/file-20250107-15-tzxryg.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":334933,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2025\/01\/17\/file-20250107-15-tzxryg.jpg?itok=6VryVQmx"}}},"media_ids":["676054"],"related_links":[{"url":"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/with-more-americans-able-to-access-legalized-marijuana-fewer-are-picking-up-prescriptions-for-anti-anxiety-medications-new-research-244646","title":"Read This Story on The Conversation"}],"groups":[{"id":"658168","name":"Experts"},{"id":"1281","name":"Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts"},{"id":"1214","name":"News Room"},{"id":"1188","name":"Research Horizons"},{"id":"1289","name":"School of Public Policy"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"187915","name":"go-researchnews"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[{"id":"71901","name":"Society and Culture"}],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Ch5\u003EAuthor:\u003C\/h5\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/theconversation.com\/profiles\/ashley-bradford-2269950\u0022\u003EAshley Bradford\u003C\/a\u003E, Assistant Professor of Public Policy, \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/theconversation.com\/institutions\/georgia-institute-of-technology-1310\u0022\u003E\u003Cem\u003EGeorgia Institute of Technology\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch5\u003EMedia Contact:\u003C\/h5\u003E\u003Cp\u003EShelley Wunder-Smith\u003Cbr\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:shelley.wunder-smith@research.gatech.edu\u0022\u003Eshelley.wunder-smith@research.gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}