States in the US where cannabis is available legally see fewer prescriptions issued for benzodiazepines, research has shown.
A study, published in the journal JAMA Network Open, found that when cannabis is legally accessible, either on a medical prescription or via recreational outlets, there is a decline in the prescription of medications to treat mental health disorders.
“Both medical and recreational cannabis policies were consistently associated with reductions in benzodiazepine dispensing,” said the researchers.
Conducted by researchers affiliated with the Georgia Institute of Technology and the University of Georgia, data from over 10 million insured patients was analysed. Legal access to medical cannabis was associated with a 12.4% reduction in the prescription fill rate per 10,000 patients while adult-use or recreational legalisation was associated with a 15.2% reduction.
“We found that cannabis laws and dispensaries were associated with significant decreases in the dispensing of benzodiazepines in a commercially insured population,” the study authors wrote.
“These results have important implications for health outcomes. Benzodiazepine use can lead to harmful adverse effects, including respiratory depression, which can be fatal… if patients are, in fact, reducing their benzodiazepine use to manage their anxiety symptoms with cannabis, this may represent a safer treatment option overall.”
According to data published by Public Health England (PHE) in 2020, around 2.4 million adults in England are prescribed benzodiazepines or similar z-drugs. Benzodiazepines act as a sedative – slowing down the body’s central nervous system – and repeated use can lead to side effects such as memory loss, insomnia, anxiety and depression. Tolerance to benzodiazepines can develop quickly with frequent use and suddenly stopping use can lead to withdrawal effects which could be life-threatening.
