Pubdate: Thu, 27 Aug 2015 Source: Minneapolis Star-Tribune (MN) Copyright: 2015 Star Tribune Contact: http://www.startribune.com Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/266 Author: Robert J. Capecchi TO ADDRESS PAINKILLER ADDICTION, OPEN UP MEDICAL POT PROGRAM I applaud Human Services Commissioner Lucinda Jesson, U.S. Attorney Andrew Luger and the Star Tribune Editorial Board for highlighting the need to address the alarming rates of addiction to and fatal overdose of prescription painkillers and heroin ("Minnesota needs state strategy to fight pain pill, heroin addiction," Aug. 24, and "Pain pill abuses are aired at conference," Aug. 26). While it will not be a panacea, emerging data suggest that modifying Minnesota's medical cannabis program to allow intractable pain patients to legally use medical cannabis can help ("State weighs medical cannabis for chronic pain," Aug. 26). Medical cannabis is far less addictive and much safer for the patient than opiate-based painkillers, having resulted in zero fatal overdoes. Studies out of the University of California found that medical marijuana was effective at treating neuropathic pain, which is notoriously unresponsive to commonly prescribed painkillers Finally, research published in the Journal of the American Medical Association last October suggests that medical cannabis reduces the rate of opiate overdoses. Researchers found that states with "[m]edical cannabis laws .. [have] ... significantly lower state-level opioid overdose mortality rates" than states without medical marijuana laws. The Department of Health should recommend that doctors be allowed to treat intractable pain with medical cannabis. Minnesota should not be criminalizing pain patients for using a safer treatment option. ROBERT J. CAPECCHI, Washington, D.C. The writer is deputy director of state policies at the Marijuana Policy Project from the Great Lakes. - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom