Various studies have already shown that medical marijuana is much better than opioids
Opioid addiction claims tens of thousands of lives each year in the US. States with progressive cannabis laws are seeing this trend change the fight against opioids, especially in those patients suffering from chronic pain. A new study conducted by researchers at CUNY in New York State claims that getting into a medical marijuana program for about a month can help patients on long-term opioid treatment reduce their dosage over time.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has exposed the enormous cost of the opioid crisis. This is not only fueled by hard drug trafficking, but also by medical prescribing practices in the country. Fortunately, as marijuana becomes more accepted, this problem is becoming a thing of the past.
According to research published yesterday, experts were able to find a link between receiving medical marijuana for chronic pain for longer periods of time and a reduction in prescribed opioid doses among sufferers receiving long-term opioid therapy. Those patients who used to take higher initial doses of prescription opioids experienced reductions in those doses after medical cannabis entered the equation.
Through findings such as these, solid evidence is given for the potential clinical benefits provided by medical marijuana in reducing the use of opioids, which, beyond causing some relief, are addictive, and can lead to fatal side effects. The findings could provide extra information to all those states that are still considering entering the medical cannabis market.