Trending News Today: Study Shows Medical Marijuana Legalization Did Not Reduce Opioid Deaths

A new study found that medical marijuana legalization likely did not affect opioid overdose deaths, MD Magazine reported. According to the article, an early study of data from 1999 to 2010 indicated that there was a negative association between medical marijuana legalization and fatal opioid overdoses, in which deaths associated with opioids decreased 21.1% per 100,000 population. However, when the researchers expanded the data through 2017 for the current study, they observed a reversal in the association, indicating that other factors are likely involved, the article reported.

Patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) have health costs more than 3 times higher than individuals without IBD, Reuters reported. According to the article, the researchers examined data from 2007 to 2016 for nearly 53,000 individuals with IBD who had either private health insurance or Medicare Advantage coverage with both medical and pharmacy benefits. Overall, average annual costs for patients with IBD were $22,987 compared with $6956 for individuals without IBD, the article reported.

A study presented at the American Diabetes Association 2017 Scientific Sessions suggested consistent use of diabetes technology at school and day camp can help children and adolescents better manage their disease, Pharmacy Times reported. According to the article, in the study, children using a continuous glucose monitor (CGM) had a 74% lower relative risk of having at least 1 severe hypoglycemic episode during their week at camp compared with controls. There were no significant differences on average blood sugar or incidence of significant hyperglycemia, the article reported.