Attorney General Sessions wants to know the science on marijuana and opioids
States with medical marijuana laws see fewer opiate deaths
The Washington Post (US)
Tuesday, February 28, 2017
Tuesday, February 28, 2017
Speaking before the National Association of Attorneys General, U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions expressed doubt that marijuana could help mitigate the opioid abuse epidemic. ““I see a line in The Washington Post today that I remember from the '80s,” Sessions said. "'Marijuana is a cure for opiate abuse.' Give me a break. This is the kind of argument that's been made out there to just — almost a desperate attempt to defend the harmlessness of marijuana or even its benefits. I doubt that's true. Maybe science will prove I'm wrong.” The stakes are pretty high here. After all, opioids killed 33,000 people in 2015, up from around 8,000 in 1999. Here's a run-down of where the evidence on marijuana and opiates stands.
