The state of Utah recently reached a new record in terms of the number of participants in its medical cannabis program. News headlines across the state made a point of trumpeting the new numbers. But I have to wonder if such news is really worth celebrating. I suppose it depends on who you ask.
Eclipsing the 100K Mark
Utah regulators were not expecting 10K medical cannabis cardholders when the state’s program first launched in 2020. Patient volume quickly exceeded 10K within the first year. Even more importantly, the most recent count shows more than 100K active medical cannabis users. Regulators sure underestimated demand, didn’t they?
Depending on your perspective, there may be very good reasons to celebrate the new record. But there are also reasons to be concerned. Let us look at both, beginning with the latter.
A Lot of People Needing Medication
The pros most likely outweigh the cons in this case, so we will get the cons out of the way first. My main concern is that so many people need medication at all.
The operators of Brigham City’s Beehive Farmacy, a medical cannabis dispensary, say that the vast majority of medical cannabis patients in Utah list persistent or acute pain on their card applications. The fact that so many people are living with pain they cannot manage in any other way is alarming.
What is causing all this pain? Better yet, are there ways we can eliminate the causes rather than merely treating the pain?
My other concern is that pain is subjective. There was no scientific means by which it could be measured. Not that it is happening a great deal, but anybody could walk into a doctor’s office, complain of persistent pain lasting more than three months, and get a recommendation for medical cannabis. There is no way for the doctor to verify whether the patient’s claims are true.
The Good News and Opioids
The other side of the coin is that medical cannabis is taking the place of opioids across Utah. Numerous studies, including one conducted by Management Science Associates (MSA) demonstrate a considerable reduction in opioid use since Utah launched its medical cannabis program.
The MSA study itself showed something surprising. Among all the medical cannabis patients interviewed for the study, 84% said they were able to reduce opioid consumption. Their total consumption fell by 54%.
Measured strictly on the basis of medical cannabis replacing opioids, news of 100K active users is good news. Anything that can help them reduce opioid consumption is good. I would rather see a chronic pain patient using opioids daily cut those opioids to every other day, a couple of times a week, or not at all.
Likewise, a patient going in for major surgery is far better off obtaining a temporary medical cannabis card than accepting an opioid prescription. So just based on the opioid issue alone, I am happy to know that so many people are setting aside opioids and replacing them with medical cannabis.
An Overmedicated Nation
Still, I cannot shake the feeling that the U.S. is an overmedicated nation. We have medications for everything under the sun. Making matters worse is the fact that we often don’t understand the negative implications of medicating until it is too late.
I see the news of 100K medical cannabis patients in Utah as a mixed bag. I can see both good and bad in it. I am also not sure if the good outweighs the bad or vice versa. What I can say for sure is that medical cannabis is turning healthcare on its head.
