Opioid Overdose Deaths Plummet In States Which Legalized Medical Marijuana

Hospitalization rates for opioid painkiller dependence and abuse dropped on average 23 percent in states after marijuana was permitted for medical purposes.

James Holbrooks
By James Holbrooks
Michael Cardenas shows off his medical marijuana after purchase outside Arizona Organix, the first legal medical marijuana dispensary to open in Arizona. AP Photo.

As Attorney General Jeff Sessions continues to lament what he views as a blight on society, a new study is showing that states with medical marijuana programs are seeing drastic reductions in opioid-related hospitalizations and overdoses. From a Reuters article published Tuesday: “In states that legalized medical marijuana, U.S. hospitals

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Kids Get Codeine In ER Despite Risks, Guidelines

Despite recommended limits on codeine use in children, the potent painkiller is prescribed for children in at least half a million emergency room visits each year, a study suggests.

Associated Press
By Associated Press
A box of pills shows Kim Hutchens' daily medication regimen for her various conditions, which have puzzled doctors at both the University of Minnesota Medical Center and Mayo Clinic. (Photo by Joey LeMay/MintPress)

CHICAGO — Despite recommended limits on codeine use in children, the potent painkiller is prescribed for children in at least half a million emergency room visits each year, a study suggests. Use of the drug in that setting is hardly rampant — just 3 percent of kids' ER visits resulted in a codeine prescription in 2010, the 10-year study found.

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Why Are Middle-Aged White Women Overdosing On Prescription Painkillers?

A new report has found that women in the U.S. are dying from overdoses of pain medication at an alarming rate.

Carissa Wyant
By Carissa Wyant

New information from the Centers for Disease Control has found that women in the U.S. are dying from overdoses of pain medication at an alarming rate. A sharp increase in the deaths of women from drugs such as OxyContin, Vicodin and methodone has been reported, according to findings released last week. “Mothers, wives, sisters and daughters are

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