Medical Cannabis Patients Twice as Likely to Stop Opioid Prescriptions, Study Finds

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Medical cannabis may help some chronic pain patients move away from long-term prescription opioids. A New York observational study published in the Journal of Addiction Medicine found opioid prescription discontinuation in 15.5% of patients receiving medical cannabis for more than 30 days, compared with 7.6% among those receiving it for 30 days or less.

That is approximately twice the rate, although the findings show an association rather than proof that cannabis caused patients to stop opioids.

Source credit: This article builds on National NORML’s November 12, 2026 report, “Study: Patients Taking Medical Cannabis Are Twice as Likely To Discontinue Prescription Opioids.” Suncoast NORML credits National NORML for bringing attention to this research. Additional details come from the original study.

What Did the Medical Cannabis and Opioid Study Examine?

Researchers analyzed New York State medical cannabis and prescription monitoring records from 2017 through 2019. The study included 8,358 chronic pain patients receiving long-term opioid therapy who also received medical cannabis.

During 90 days of follow-up, researchers compared two groups:

Group	Patients	Opioid prescription discontinuation
Received medical cannabis for more than 30 days	4,892	15.5%
Received medical cannabis for 30 days or less	3,466	7.6%

Discontinuation meant a gap of at least 45 days in opioid prescriptions. The difference between groups was 7.9 percentage points.

The comparison group therefore should not be described as people who never used cannabis. Both groups received medical cannabis, but for different durations. Read the study abstract.

Starting Opioid Dose Made a Difference

The association varied with patients’ starting opioid dosage. Researchers found significant associations below 90 morphine milligram equivalents, or MME, but no statistically significant association at 90 MME or higher.

MME is a standardized way of comparing opioid dosages. These findings suggest that starting dosage matters when evaluating cannabis’s potential role in opioid reduction; the results do not establish a universal replacement strategy.

What the Findings Can—and Cannot—Tell Us

Prescription records provide information about medication dispensing, but a prescription gap does not establish why someone stopped filling prescriptions or whether their pain improved.

Because the study was observational, differences between the groups could also influence the results. Its short follow-up cannot establish whether patients maintained the change over years.

The study offers a reason for further investigation, including research that measures pain, daily functioning, quality of life, and longer-term outcomes alongside prescription use.

Why This Matters for Florida’s Cannabis Conversation

For Suncoast NORML, research like this reinforces the importance of a patient-centered approach to cannabis policy. People managing chronic pain deserve an informed conversation about their options, without stigma replacing evidence.

Florida’s public discussion should leave room for both promising findings and honest questions. Protecting access and supporting rigorous research are compatible goals. Advocates do not need to promise that cannabis works for everyone to argue that patients deserve serious consideration of its potential benefits.

The relevant question is how policy can support informed decisions between patients and clinicians while researchers continue to clarify who may benefit.

Patients Should Not Stop Opioids Abruptly

These findings are not instructions to replace prescribed medication independently. The CDC’s opioid prescribing guideline advises clinicians to weigh benefits and risks with patients and generally avoid abrupt discontinuation or rapid dosage reductions. Any medication change should be planned with the prescribing clinician.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does this prove cannabis can replace opioids?

No. It identifies an association between longer medical cannabis receipt and opioid prescription discontinuation. It does not prove cause and effect or establish cannabis as a replacement for every patient.

Was this a Florida study?

No. It analyzed New York State records. Its relevance to Florida is the broader discussion about patient access, clinical decision-making, and research.