Title |
Medical Marijuana Laws Reduce Prescription Medication Use In Medicare Part D
|
---|---|
Published in |
Health Affairs, July 2016
|
DOI | 10.1377/hlthaff.2015.1661 |
Pubmed ID | |
Authors |
Ashley C Bradford, W David Bradford |
Abstract |
Legalization of medical marijuana has been one of the most controversial areas of state policy change over the past twenty years. However, little is known about whether medical marijuana is being used clinically to any significant degree. Using data on all prescriptions filled by Medicare Part D enrollees from 2010 to 2013, we found that the use of prescription drugs for which marijuana could serve as a clinical alternative fell significantly, once a medical marijuana law was implemented. National overall reductions in Medicare program and enrollee spending when states implemented medical marijuana laws were estimated to be $165.2 million per year in 2013. The availability of medical marijuana has a significant effect on prescribing patterns and spending in Medicare Part D. |
X Demographics
Geographical breakdown
Country | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
United States | 264 | 46% |
Canada | 28 | 5% |
United Kingdom | 12 | 2% |
Australia | 7 | 1% |
Italy | 6 | 1% |
New Zealand | 3 | <1% |
Germany | 3 | <1% |
Comoros | 3 | <1% |
Norway | 2 | <1% |
Other | 33 | 6% |
Unknown | 218 | 38% |
Demographic breakdown
Type | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Members of the public | 486 | 84% |
Practitioners (doctors, other healthcare professionals) | 40 | 7% |
Scientists | 31 | 5% |
Science communicators (journalists, bloggers, editors) | 21 | 4% |
Unknown | 1 | <1% |
Mendeley readers
Geographical breakdown
Country | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
United States | 4 | 1% |
Unknown | 306 | 99% |
Demographic breakdown
Readers by professional status | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Researcher | 47 | 15% |
Student > Master | 45 | 15% |
Student > Ph. D. Student | 34 | 11% |
Student > Doctoral Student | 28 | 9% |
Student > Bachelor | 28 | 9% |
Other | 55 | 18% |
Unknown | 73 | 24% |
Readers by discipline | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Medicine and Dentistry | 57 | 18% |
Social Sciences | 31 | 10% |
Economics, Econometrics and Finance | 21 | 7% |
Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutical Science | 19 | 6% |
Nursing and Health Professions | 16 | 5% |
Other | 70 | 23% |
Unknown | 96 | 31% |