Medical cannabis could help tackle opioid crisis, says study

Cannabis News World

Oct 31

Medical cannabis could help tackle opioid crisis, says study
Cannabis Health News

In a new study, opioid use has been seen to reduce or stop altogether, following prescription of medical cannabis. Medical cannabis could be an important alternative to opioids when managing pain, a new study of thousands of patients concludes. The research, published in the peer-reviewed journal Substance Use and Misuse, found that people reported being in less pain and could function better physically and socially, after consuming medical cannabis. It also found that the majority of those who had been taking oxycodone, codeine and other opioids to treat their pain were able to stop or reduce them as a result. The results indicate that, used under proper medical supervision, medical cannabis – cannabis and cannabis-based medicines – could reduce opioid use in certain individuals. Though more research is needed, experts believe this may help to alleviate the opioid epidemic in the US. Opioids can be effective painkillers but they are also highly addictive. Drug overdose deaths involving opioids (prescription and non-prescription, such as heroin) have increased more than eight-fold since 1999 in the US, with more than 550,000 deaths from 1999 to 2020. Although the US is at the centre of the opioid crisis, the issue is an increasing public health concern in other countries, including the UK, Sweden and Australia. The use of medical cannabis is now legal in the majority of states in the US and patients are increasingly using it instead of opioids to manage their pain. However, research into the viability of substituting medical cannabis for opioids is limited. The study To find out more, researchers from Emerald Coast Research, a contract research organisation based in Florida, and Florida State University College of Medicine, carried out a detailed survey of medical cannabis users shortly after its medical use was legalised in the state. The 2,183 participants…