“If Congress were to legalize medical cannabis nationwide for medicinal purposes, it could save the Medicaid program $1 billion in prescription drug costs, according to new study published in Health Affairs.
Researchers say that after examining a number of jurisdictions to determine whether MC laws were having an affect on the sale of prescription drugs, it became clear that the government could save the program a substantial amount of money by simply giving the entire nation access to cannabis medicine.
In states with medical marijuana laws on the books, researchers found that Medicaid saved in upwards of $475.8 million in 2014. This means state programs replaced around 2 percent of Medicaid’s $23.9 billion in annual prescription expenditures.
A similar study published last year found Medicare prescriptions were dropping in states where medical cannabis was available. Researchers said that patients suffering from conditions like chronic pain, anxiety and depression appeared to be gravitating toward cannabis treatments rather than continuing to lean on prescription pills.”
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See full article – Medical marijuana could save Medicaid $1 billion in prescription drug costs
