New research from the National Institute on Drug Abuse suggests that marijuana users may be more likely than non-users to misuse prescription opioids and develop prescription opioid use disorder.
Research also indicated that individuals who reported past-year marijuana use in their initial interview had 2.2 times higher odds than non-users of meeting DSM-IV diagnostic criteria for prescription opioid use disorder by the follow-up. These individuals also had 2.6 times greater odds of initiating prescription opioid misuse, defined as using a drug without a prescription, in higher doses, for longer periods, or for other reasons than prescribed.