opioid
Health Marijuana Movement Social Change Sponsored Top News

Cannabis vs. Opioid Addiction

The number one reason why people seek medical attention is pain. A differing number of pains notably slow down the quality of life for a lot of patients.

Modern physicians are taught that medications which contain a considerable amount of opioids provide the best solution against pain, yet the most current research is now revealing that opiate-based medications are in fact very poor at treating pain. Yet, they continue to be prescribed for a multitude of reasons. And despite the fact that a lot of problems commonly arise as a result of long-term opiate use, prescription pain medication is still the go-to treatment for pain in the majority of medical circles.

In addition, a tolerance to the limited analgesic effects of opiate-based medication will undoubtedly be developed by patients, thereby requiring an always increasing dose. A persistent intake of opioids also result in unwanted side effects like feeling depressed and drugged.



Morphine, fentanyl, codeine, Percocet, methadone, Vicodin and oxycodone are some of the medicines prescribed as opioids, as well as seven different muscle relaxants, seven antidepressants, six benzodiazepines including valium; and a host of other substances, all of which are highly addictive.

Despite not being acknowledged by the medical community, for more than a century now, cannabis therapy has been used in addiction recovery. Whereas cannabis was once considered taboo, today neurobiologists are of the opinion that the use of cannabis, instead of the dangerous and toxic opioids, is an encouraging area of research that has been long neglected. There are several medical cannabis strains that are very effective against pain. A common trend exists in chronic pain patients who use cannabis for pain management according to numerous reports. These patients admit that they are either able to considerably lower their dose of opioids or halt the use of opioids completely. In addition, they also state the advantage of no longer having to deal with the side effects of opioids like nausea, constipation or depression.

The fast-growing severity of the opioid addiction epidemic provides enough reasoning than ever before to further pursue the largely ignored potential of cannabis in dealing with addiction.

As opioids carry the threat of overdose along with other undesirable side effects, adding cannabis to their treatment regime gives room for patients to attain more comfort with a reduced amount or no opioid medication.



Evidence points out that cannabinoids could provide a long-lasting therapeutic effect. According to preclinical animal studies, a cannabinoid in the marijuana plant called cannabidiol (CBD) does not produce the “high,” and reduces the negative properties of opioid drugs, specifically the often life-threatening withdrawal symptoms.

With every passing year, the ever-growing opioid epidemic is killing tens of thousands of people in the United States. There are almost 30,000 deaths every year from opiate related deaths alone in the US. To put that in perspective, that’s over 80 deaths a day; roughly one death every 20 minutes. In the United States today, prescription painkillers kill more Americans than heroin and cocaine combined., yet they are regularly prescribed to adults and children alike. 

Science has shown that in everyday life, CBD is a very efficient alternative to opioids in the battle against pain and addiction as well as providing yet another reason to legalize cannabis.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *