President of the United States of America 1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW Washington, DC 20500 Dear Mr. President, I am greatly concerned about our opioid emergency and the increasing number of opioid-related deaths in our state. An increasing body of scientific evidence shows that the legalization of medical marijuana in states that have legalized medical marijuana dispensaries is linked to a decrease in the number of opioid prescriptions written and a decline in illicit opioid use and overdoses. Between 2004 and 2017, twenty-nine states legalized marijuana in some form. In the states who have medical marijuana dispensaries, people have safe access to cannabis to treat their chronic health conditions. An overlooked positive impact of medical marijuana is a reduction in harms associated with opioid pain relievers, a far more addictive and potentially fatal substance. As reported by Nelson (2015), patients who do not have access to legalized medical dispensaries are more likely to turn to illicit sources to treat their chronic and painful health conditions. This is partly because the FDA is putting pressure on physicians to decrease the number of opioid prescriptions written in the U. S. This leaves some patients who depend on opioids to treat their chronic pain searching for alternative treatments. According to Anson (2017), a recent survey of over 3 100 chronic pain patients by the International Pain Foundation proved tighter opioid regulations are pushing people to use illicit substances to treat their chronic pain. The Centers for disease control and Prevention's (CDC) guidelines have reduced the amount of prescription opioids being prescribed by physicians. This has harmed many patients who are no longer being prescribed opioids to treat their chronic conditions. Some of these patients have turned to illegal drugs for pain relief, and some have committed suicide because their pain is no longer managed. Of the people surveyed by the International Pain Foundation, 70 percent said their opioid doses had been reduced or cut off by their doctors in the past year. And one out of ten patients (11%) said they had sought out opioids illegally for pain relief since the CDC guidelines were released. Because medical marijuana is a powerful analgesic that has been proven to significantly reduce pain, the legalization of medical marijuana reduces chronic pain patients' dependency on opioids to manage their chronic pain. Marijuana not o...
