Flash Talk Can Medical Marijuana Be a Solution to the Opioid Crisis? Jane Nichols, Thomas Shaw, Jessica Cataldo, Richard McKinnies, Sandra Collins, Scott Collins

THE OPIOID CRISIS – Who are those people who accidentally overdose on prescription opioid, or have moved to illicit opioid and accidentally overdose? Persons with a predisposition for substance use disorder who overdose. Individual using prescription opioid obtained from friends, family, and the street who accidentally overdose. People prescribed opioids, suffering a chronic painful illness that responds to opioids, who accidentally overdose. Persons who overdose from polysubstance use. People using opioids to treat anxiety and depression, develop a substance use disorder, and accidentally overdose. 1. Genetics, epigenetics, environment, combination of all three, note RISK DOES NOT EQUAL PREDESTINY

State Marijuana Program Relative to Opioid Use Disorder Opioids in Illinois Overdose rates are high Polysubstance use, specifically benzodiazepines Medical Marijuana Program Medical Cannabis Patient Registry Program 40 qualifying, debilitating conditions Opioid Bill Amends the medical marijuana program to allow those prescribed opioids to apply for medical marijuana instead Response from cannabis cultivating industry Ambiguity surrounding differentiation of pain complaints Chronic pain based on neuropathic pain with nerve injury and without http://www.dph.illinois.gov/topics-services/prevention-wellness/medical-cannabis effective January 1, 2015, the Act was amended to include eligibility for children under age 18 and to add seizure disorders to the list of debilitating conditions. On June 30, 2016, the Act was amended (Public Act 099-0519) to add Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) as a debilitating condition and to allow persons diagnosed with a terminal illness to apply for a medical cannabis registry identification card.  The Act is effective until July 1, 2020. A registered qualifying patient may purchase up to 2.5 ounces of medical cannabis during a 14-day period. This amount of medical cannabis, called the “adequate supply,” is defined in Section 10 of the Act. Purchases of medical cannabis can only be made at a licensed medical cannabis dispensary. How many physicians, how many dispensaries, how many users The Health Effects of Cannabis and Cannabinoids: The Current State of Evidence and Recommendations for Research (2017) Marijuana As Medicine?: The Science Beyond the Controversy (2000)

Where Do We Go From Here.... Piloting Physician Survey Opioid addiction and related deaths have reached a critical level across the United States. Often used as pain relief for multiple medical issues, opioids are continually prescribed and solutions to the reduction of such need further exploration. As a possible reduction of opioid prescriptions, which often lead to abuse, our study seeks to determine if Medical Marijuana can be a potential means by which to reduce opioid prescriptions and use. A comparative study of select states will be conducted to determine if there are differences among groups based on medical vs recreational legislation.