TRENDS : CONTINUED
Discussion
It is likely that individuals used alcohol , tobacco , marijuana , and prescription opioids much more than previously to cope with the psychological strain of living during a worldwide pandemic . Prior to the pandemic , cigarette sales tax revenue was slowly , but steadily decreasing , while other tobacco product sales tax revenue was slowly , but steadily increasing from about the end of 2015 . Alcoholic beverage sales tax revenue varied widely by beverage type beginning around May 2020 . An increase was observable in sale of beer , liquor , and wine . However , there was a significant decrease in liquor sales tax revenue in November 2020 . Awareness of waves of deaths due to opioid overdoses , and the U . S . Opioid Epidemic being declared a public health emergency by the U . S . Department of Health and Human Services , possibly contributed to the decreasing number of opioid prescriptions . Additionally , when medical marijuana was introduced to the state , one of the many conditions it was purported to treat included chronic pain .
This could also have led to the decrease in number of opioid prescriptions and the increase in medical marijuana sales tax revenue . The increase of 423.3 %, therefore , could be attributable to the newly available medical marijuana cards , and then to the subsequent openings of several new medical marijuana retail stores . Overall , the negative psychological effects caused by the pandemic could have increased the likelihood of initiation and relapse of addictive drug use .
Unfortunately , pandemics are almost impossible to predict . Therefore , mitigation strategies to reduce alcohol , tobacco , marijuana , and substance use should be included in future pandemic preparedness . These strategies may include prioritizing public health messaging on mental health and how to cope with stress and providing healthy coping skills that can be used long-term .
Disclaimer : The views expressed in this paper are not necessarily those of the Arkansas Department of Health .
References can be found at ARKMED . org . ■
52 THE JOURNAL OF THE ARKANSAS MEDICAL SOCIETY