As the prescription drug overdose epidemic in the United States is increasingly getting out of control, it is time to explore safer alternatives to these highly addictive narcotics.

More than 14,000 people died in the United States from overdoses involving prescription opioids in 2014, according to the Center for Disease Control. During that same year New Mexico had the second highest total drug overdose death rate in the nation.

Between 2010 and 2014, 85 percent of New Mexico’s 33 counties had higher rates of drug overdose than the national average, some NM counties reaching 5 times the national rate, according to the New Mexico Department of Health. As this epidemic continues, more people are lost to prescription related deaths each year.

One certain way to save lives in the future is to legalize cannabis. Not only is it impossible to overdose from using cannabis, but it’s proven to be a safer therapeutic substitution that keeps people from overdosing on prescription drugs. International think tank Rand Corporation recently released a study, which included New Mexico specific data, and found that as medical cannabis programs are expanded, opioid related deaths have seen major decreases. Overall, the Rand report concluded broader acceptance and availability of cannabis laws reduce the consumption of prescription opioids, as reflected in the number of treatment admissions and overdose deaths.

This is nothing new. In 2014, researchers from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and the Philadelphia Veterans Affairs Medical Center found that in states where medical cannabis is legal to treat chronic pain and other conditions, the number of annual deaths from prescription drug overdose is 25 percent lower than in states where medical cannabis remains illegal.

Another study from the University of Michigan earlier this year found medical cannabis use lowers opiate use. Among study participants, medical cannabis use was associated with a 64 percent decrease in opioid use, decreased number of side effects of medications and an improved quality of life.

The positive improvements were limited to medical cannabis laws (not including adult use). Considering the number of people who obtain prescription drugs illegally for recreational purposes, adopting cannabis use for all adults over the age of 21 has the potential to save even more lives.

While some will speculate that increased cannabis use has negative effects, most of these criticisms are unproven. A study released last month from the Journal of the American Medical Association documented the health of cannabis users over the span of 20 years, and found that the only component of physical health negatively affected by cannabis use was periodontal health.

Although there will always be individuals who oppose the use of cannabis for unfounded health concerns, risking a cavity here or there should be a no brainer when it comes to the very real possibility of saving lives.

Prescription opiates cause thousands of deaths nationwide each year. Americans deserve the right to explore different treatment alternatives for their illnesses, treatment options that include legal cannabis. If one plant can single handedly help reduce the prescription opiate overdose epidemic in this country, what are we waiting for?