What topics does this cannabis study cover?

This study covers research on: Policy.

Where was this research published?

Published in The International journal on drug policy on November 12, 2026.

Opioid policy associations differed by legal cannabis supply, but remain…

Q: What did this research study find?

Without legal cannabis supply, *MQ-PDMP* adoption was associated with **significantly higher odds of past-year OUD**; the association with opioid misuse was not statistically significant.

Opioid prescribing policies and opioid misuse: identifying effects with and without cannabis supply.

The International journal on drug policy • November 12, 2026 • Moderately Relevant

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AI Summary

This study examined whether state laws requiring prescription drug monitoring program checks (MQ-PDMP) and opioid prescribing limits (OPL) were associated with past-year opioid misuse and opioid use disorder (OUD), depending on whether states had a legal cannabis supply. Researchers analyzed U.S. National Survey on Drug Use and Health data from 2015–2019 using two-way fixed-effects models. This was an observational policy study, so its estimates show associations and do not establish that the laws caused the outcomes.

In states without legal cannabis supply, MQ-PDMP adoption was associated with significantly higher odds of OUD; its association with opioid misuse was not statistically significant. In states with legal cannabis supply, estimates for MQ-PDMP pointed toward lower odds of both outcomes, but neither association was statistically significant. OPL showed similar patterns for opioid misuse, while OPL in states with legal cannabis supply was associated with significantly lower odds of OUD. The authors caution that imprecise estimates make it difficult to tell whether these patterns reflect real policy effects or limited precision; the abstract cannot establish that cannabis supply changes the effects of opioid policies.

💡 Key Findings

Without legal cannabis supply, MQ-PDMP adoption was associated with significantly higher odds of past-year OUD; the association with opioid misuse was not statistically significant.

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With legal cannabis supply, MQ-PDMP adoption was associated with lower estimated odds of opioid misuse and OUD, but neither association was statistically significant.

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80%

With legal cannabis supply, OPL was associated with significantly lower odds of OUD; the abstract reports a similar pattern for opioid misuse but does not establish a significant association for that outcome.

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The authors emphasize that imprecise estimates prevent determining whether the differing patterns reflect true policy effects or limited precision; this observational analysis does not establish causation.

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📄 Original Abstract

OBJECTIVES: We examined the effects of state must-query prescription drug monitoring program (MQ-PDMP) and opioid prescribing limit (OPL) laws on past-year opioid misuse and opioid use disorder (OUD), in the presence and absence of legal cannabis. METHODS: We used the 2015-2019 US National Survey on Drug Use and Health. We obtained policy measures from the Prescription Drug Abuse Policy System, prior literature, and statutory data. We estimated policy effects in states with and without a legal cannabis supply using two-way fixed effects models. RESULTS: Relative to states without MQ-PDMP, MQ-PDMP adoption with no legal cannabis supply was associated with (non-significant) higher odds of past-year opioid misuse (AOR: 1.30; 95% CI: 1.00-1.68) and (significant) higher odds of OUD (AOR: 1.82; 95% CI: 1.09-3.03). In states with legal cannabis, MQ-PDMP adoption was associated with lower (non-significant) odds of past-year opioid misuse (AOR: 0.87; 95% CI: 0.74-1.04) and lower (non-significant) odds of OUD (AOR: 0.80; 95% CI: 0.56-1.13) compared to states without MQ-PDMP. Similar results were found for OPL and opioid misuse. OPL with legal cannabis was associated with lower (significant) odds of OUD (AOR: 0.69; 95% CI: 0.48-0.99), relative to states without an OPL. PUBLIC HEALTH IMPLICATIONS: While the estimates suggest increases in opioid misuse and OUD associated with opioid prescription policies in states without legal cannabis supply, and the opposite in states with cannabis supply, imprecise estimates make it difficult to determine whether the observed patterns reflect true effects or limited precision in the policy contrasts.

Paper Type

📄 Research

Publication

Journal: The International journal on drug policy
Published: November 12, 2026
PMID: 43019842
DOI: 10.1016/j.drugpo.2026.105591

Authors (7)

Magdalena Cerdá Department of Population Health, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, 180 Madison Ave, New York, NY, 10016, USA; Department of Chronic Disease Epidemiology, Yale School of Public Health, 60 College St, New Haven, CT, 06511, USA. Electronic address: Magdalena.Cerda@yale.edu.
Emilie Bruzelius Department of Epidemiology, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, 722 West 168(th) St, New York, NY, 10032, USA.
Katherine Wheeler-Martin Department of Population Health, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, 180 Madison Ave, New York, NY, 10016, USA; Department of Chronic Disease Epidemiology, Yale School of Public Health, 60 College St, New Haven, CT, 06511, USA.
Christine M Mauro Department of Biostatistics, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, 722 West 168(th) St, New York, NY, 10032, USA.
Kara E Rudolph Department of Epidemiology, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, 722 West 168(th) St, New York, NY, 10032, USA.
+2 more authors