With more Americans able to access legalized marijuana, fewer are picking up prescriptions for anti-anxiety medications – new research

New research suggests that in some states, medicinal cannabis use could be leading to a reduction in the use of anxiety medications. Olena Ruban/Moment via Getty Images

In states where both medical and recreational marijuana are legal, fewer patients are filling prescriptions for medications used to treat anxiety. That is the key finding of my recent study, published in the journal JAMA Network Open.

I am an applied policy researcher who studies the economics of risky behaviors and substance use within the United States. My collaborators and I wanted to understand how medical and recreational marijuana laws and marijuana dispensary openings have affected the rate at which patients fill prescriptions for anti-anxiety medications among people who have private medical insurance.