America’s Opioid crisis has gone on for nearly a decade. Can a federally legal compound sourced from hemp help?
As of April 2019, ten states plus the District of Columbia have legalized marijuana for any adult over the age of 21. 24 other states have legislation in place that allows for at least some type of cannabis use for medicinal purposes.
While people use cannabis for many reasons, many individuals who are dependent on opiates are utilizing the compound as part of their recovery.
Opioids are a class of drugs that are used for treating pain. Some examples include Morphine, Fentanyl, Vicodin, and Oxycodone, among others. They work by binding to certain receptors in the body that send a signal to the brain that tells you that you ’re not in pain. They are exceptionally effective narcotics that also have a major downside; they are profoundly addictive and carry a high risk of abuse.
In the US, 115 people die every day from opiate misuse. In 2015 alone, 33,000 people died due to an accidental overdose of opiates. These hard facts are difficult to fathom, and nearly everyone knows of someone who has suffered this fatality. Pain and addiction are heartbreaking afflictions that can cause regrettable and illogical actions.
For the first time, however, there appears to be some light on the horizon. It has been found that the rate of opioid overdoses in states that have legalized the use of marijuana has gone down by nearly 25%. Not only that, but legal access to marijuana has been connected to 15% less opioid treatment admissions.
These facts illustrate that cannabis may play a key role in helping to decrease or at least stabilize the deadly opioid epidemic. The National Academies of Science and Medicine conducted a study on individuals who were prescribed opioids to treat their pain. It was found that the participants who began using cannabis showed increased cognitive function, fewer side effects, and a significant improvement in their quality of life.
Further, in many cases, it has been shown that using cannabis derived from medical marijuana or Cannabidiol (CBD) from hemp concurrently with opiates can prevent the tolerance that leads to an individual needing more of the prescription to gain relief.
These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
Sources
https://www.projectcbd.org/medicine/americas-opiate-crisis-how-medical-cannabis-can-help
http://www.drugpolicy.org/legalization-status-report
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6135562/
