Could Legal Marijuana Be Helpful to Those Suffering From Opioid Addiction?

Studies have shown that the legalization of marijuana could help solve the opioid crisis currently plaguing the United States. In fact, two studies could actually show that marijuana could be an asset to those who are addicted to other harsh drugs.

The studies, published Monday in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine, compared opioid prescription patterns in states that have enacted medical cannabis laws with those that have not. One of the studies looked at opioid prescriptions covered by Medicare Part D between 2010 and 2015, while the other looked at opioid prescriptions covered by Medicaid between 2011 and 2016.

The researchers found that states that allow the use of cannabis for medical purposes had 2.21 million fewer daily doses of opioids prescribed per year under Medicare Part D, compared with those states without medical cannabis laws. Opioid prescriptions under Medicaid also dropped by 5.88% in states with medical cannabis laws compared with states without such laws, according to the studies. –CNN

But this isn’t the first time marijuana’s benefits have been touted for those addicted to the drugs often laced with the potentially fatal fentanyl.

There have been  studies which have shown that medical cannabis eases some neuropathic pain, and the government’s own National Institutes of Health stated, “Medical marijuana products may have a role in reducing the use of opioids needed to control pain.”

There were also studies showing that deaths from opioids plummet in states with legal cannabis and that 80 percent of cannabis users give up prescription pills. A February 2017 study confirmed that opioid dependence and overdoses dropped significantly in medical cannabis states. And those who treat drug and alcohol addicts have been sharing their experiences using marijuana to help treat debilitating drug addictions.

It’s long been known that cannabis’ main ingredient can help treat pain and lessen the effects of and sometimes even treat seizures. With more and more studies being conducted on the plant, there will likely be even more cures found. And maybe, cannabis could help those who suffer from alcohol or drug addictions.

Abstinence when recovering from a drug or alcohol addiction proves difficult, and many addicts relapse several times before becoming completely sober. But now, maybe cannabis can help those who suffer from chemical dependency. –The Daily Sheeple

“This study adds one more brick in the wall in the argument that cannabis clearly has medical applications,” said David Bradford, professor of public administration and policy at the University of Georgia and a lead author of the Medicare study. “And for pain patients, in particular, our work adds to the argument that cannabis can be effective.”

Bradford did warn that the data is only from those in some government-funded health insurance programs, and therefore won’t include any data from private insurers. “Medicare and Medicaid published [sic] this data, and we’re free to use it, and anyone who’s interested can download the data,” Bradford said. “But that means that we don’t know what’s going on with the privately insured and the uninsured population, and for that, I’m afraid the data sets are proprietary and expensive.”

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