Benzodiazepines are a class of psychoactive medications with sedative properties which are commonly used for anxiety and other neurological conditions. They are associated with several well-known adverse effects, and as of 2019, hospital admissions for their misuse has tripled since 1998.
A retrospective analysis was performed on a cohort of 146 medical cannabis patients (average age 47 years) who reported benzodiazepine use at initiation of cannabis therapy.
Following an average prescription term of 2 months of cannabis (marijuana) use, 30% of patients had stopped using benzodiazepines. After 3 cannabis prescriptions over 6 months 45% had stopped using benzodiazepines.
Complications of long-term benzodiazepine use include lack of concentration, dependence, tolerance, overdose, and addiction. A recent meta-analysis found increased mortality in benzodiazepine users compared with nonusers.
If you think that medical marijuana seems safer and has less side effects than benzodiazepines, you may be right.
