Advertisment: Fluence » Fluence Order 95 » CBT ROS Banner 970x250 - Start June 18 » FLU-DBA_SPYDR3_970 x 250

Opiod-Related Deaths Fell 6.5 Percent After Adult-Use Marijuana Legalized in Colorado, Research Finds

The new research was published in November’s edition of the American Journal of Public Health.


DENVER – Opioid-related deaths have fallen by more than 6 percent in Colorado in the two years after the state started selling recreational marijuana, according to new research published in November’s edition of the American Journal of Public Health.

Advertisment: Cannabis Business Times » Cannabis Business Times Best Cannabis Companies to Work For » CBT Best Companies 2026 ROS Parallax Reveal » bcc-ads-730x570

The researchers who conducted the study found the 6.5-percent reduction represented “a reversal of” a 14-year increasing trend in opioid-related deaths in Colorado since 2000.

Advertisment: Cannabis Business Times » Cannabis Business Times Best Cannabis Companies to Work For » CBT Best Companies 2026 ROS Parallax Reveal » bcc-ads-730x570

RELATED: Medical Marijuana Patients Report Reduction in Use of Prescription Drugs

But they stressed in the report that further research is needed in order to make sure the trends could be seen beyond Colorado, as there aren’t any other states that had a similar timeframe for legalization that could be studied.

Advertisment: Frank Mayer » Frank Mayer Order 84 » CBT ROS Medium Rectangle 300x250 July 2025 » CBT Web Ad - July 2025

The use of marijuana as an alternative to opioids, or as a recovery tool for addicts, has been much-discussed over the past year, as more states have legalized either medical or recreational cannabis, and as the Trump administration fights the notion that marijuana could be a helpful alternative medicine.

Advertisment: Hanwha Vision » Hanwha Vision Order 78 » CBT ROS 300x250 Medium Rectangle July 2025 » D53_Cannabis-Business-Times_300x250_v1

Read more

Advertisment: Frank Mayer » Frank Mayer Order 84 » CBT ROS Medium Rectangle 300x250 July 2025 » CBT Web Ad - July 2025
Advertisment: Frank Mayer » Frank Mayer Order 84 » CBT ROS Medium Rectangle 300x250 July 2025 » CBT Web Ad - July 2025
Page 1 of 58
Next Page
Advertisment: Greentank » Greentank Order 111 » CBT ROS Mobile Adhesion 360x120 July 2025 » GT AC ADS 600X200@2x