A recent study published in JAMA Network Open reveals that in American states where both medical and recreational cannabis are legal, fewer patients are filling prescriptions for medications used to treat anxiety. The research, conducted by applied policy researchers studying the economics of risky behaviours and substance use in the United States, aimed to understand how medical and recreational cannabis laws and dispensary openings have affected prescription fill rates for anti-anxiety medications among privately insured patients.
The study found that medical cannabis laws were associated with a 12.4% reduction in benzodiazepine fill rates, while recreational cannabis laws were linked to a 15.2% reduction. These findings suggest that increased access to legal cannabis may be influencing treatment patterns for patients with anxiety, potentially offering an alternative to traditional prescription medications.