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Studies Suggest Public Health Benefit To Marijuana, But Some Are Skeptical

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Two new studies suggest there could be a public health benefit to states like Massachusetts that permit the use of marijuana for medical or recreational use.

The studies, published in the latest edition of JAMA Internal Medicine, suggest the rate of use for addictive opioids is lower in states where marijuana is also available to manage pain.

A commentary that accompanies the study warns, however, that public policy is way ahead of science, because there's just not enough scientific research yet.

The commentary was written by Dr. Kevin Hill, who's the director of addiction psychiatry at Beth Israel Deaconness Medical Center in Boston. He joined Morning Edition to discuss.

This segment aired on April 3, 2018.

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Bob Oakes Senior Correspondent
Bob Oakes was a senior correspondent in the WBUR newsroom, a role he took on in 2021 after nearly three decades hosting WBUR's Morning Edition.

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