<story><title>In Colorado, opioid deaths fall following marijuana legalization</title><url>https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2017/10/16/legal-marijuana-is-saving-lives-in-colorado-study-finds/</url></story><parent_chain></parent_chain><comment><author>sparrish</author><text>There&amp;#x27;s no evidence that this was due to legalizing marijuana.  It&amp;#x27;s more likely due to first responder&amp;#x27;s greater access to naloxone.&lt;p&gt;&amp;quot;In April 2015, Colorado passed a new law, Senate Bill 15-053, expanding access to the life- saving drug naloxone, which is used to reverse overdoses to narcotic drugs, such as certain prescription medications and heroin. ... An individual at risk of overdose.&amp;quot;</text></comment>
<story><title>In Colorado, opioid deaths fall following marijuana legalization</title><url>https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2017/10/16/legal-marijuana-is-saving-lives-in-colorado-study-finds/</url></story><parent_chain></parent_chain><comment><author>xupybd</author><text>Comparing the impacts of recreational marijuana laws on opioid deaths seems tricky to me. While there may be correlations I&amp;#x27;m not sure there is enough to infer causation.&lt;p&gt;I&amp;#x27;d say they&amp;#x27;d want to focus more on the effects of the arrest rates going down. I think that is where you are going to see the biggest positive changes.&lt;p&gt;That said I think we still need to see marijuanna as a health danger. Much like smoking tobacco, long term irritation of your lungs is not a good thing. I hear a lot of people calling marijuanna a cure all and remember my grandmother telling me how she was told to start smoking as a cure to her anxiety. Not the same, but this was something she told me as I was watching her die slowly from a lifetime of smoking.</text></comment>