Legalizing Cannabis Would Fix The Opioid Problem
By James Donahue
August 10, 2017
It is tragic that Trump’s appointed Attorney General Jeff Sessions is beefing up a national prohibition against the growth, possession, sale and use of marijuana at a time when voters are calling for its legalization and cannabis has been declared legal for medical and in some cases recreational use in some states.
This is because new research is discovering what many marijuana users have been saying for years . . . the ingredients in this amazing plant not only have healing properties, but provide an effective relief for pain. It also has been found to be a safe recreational substance that is non addictive.
Ironically as Sessions continues his campaign to declare marijuana an illegal substance, his office also is putting heat on the medical community to control prescriptions for pain relief medications that contain opioids. And President Trump only yesterday declared the opioid problem in the U.S. a national emergency. These medications like Vicodin, Percocet, Hydrocodone and Oxycodone are still widely prescribed because they are considered the most effective treatment available among pharmaceuticals for treatment of moderate to severe pain. And statics are showing them all to be highly addictive and very deadly if patients accidentally overdose.
The campaign to take the opioids off the market is growing because studies are showing that millions of Americans have become addicted to them. And over 190,000 users of died of accidental overdoses. But doctors say they have nothing better to prescribe against pain except morphine, which is even more deadly.
Studies have found that a combination of 200 mg of ibuprofen and 500 mg of acetaminophen can offer an even more effective relief of severe pain. One report said this drug combination gives as much relief as a 10 mg shot of morphine. But the kicker is that both ibuprofen and acetaminophen are killers in a different way. They attack the liver and kidneys and eventually kill the patient from extended use.
So what are elderly people suffering from arthritic joints, extreme hip and back pain and other problems that require permanent pain relief to use if they wish to have any quality of life?
The answer appears to be very simple; except our government is making it illegal for folks to turn to the natural pain killer that is probably growing in their back yards.
Laboratory research on the effects of marijuana has been held back in the United States because the plant is still classified as an illegal substance, although not a drug, by the federal government. And doctors are reluctant to prescribe the use of marijuana for pain relief in the U.S. for fear of losing their license to practice medicine. But research in other countries is offering infinitive proof that marijuana is more effective at treating pain than any other available drug.
Because of the government and public stigma, insurance companies will not approve prescribed marijuana for pain, thus forcing patients to resort to opioids, which are covered and thus affordable. In California, where medical marijuana has been legalized, doctors who work with medical marijuana outlets also are reluctant to prescribe cannabis for internal consumption for pain relief. When this system was tested the best we could get was approval of an external patch to be applied to the area of pain. And even the patch was not covered by insurance.
One report noted that using marijuana for pain relief is not only more effective than opioids, but safer. Smoking or consuming the effective chemicals found in the plant are not physically addictive and there has been no documented case of death to marijuana overdose. Marijuana users do not appear to build up a tolerance. Also, when marijuana is used together with opioids, the combination has been found to prevent the development of tolerance and can even help addicted opioid users wean off that drug.
Many people are turning to marijuana for pain relief in spite of the danger of being arrested and charged by federal agents. Yet in states where medical marijuana laws are permissible, statistics show that opioid overdose deaths are reduced by about 25 percent.
A recent one-year Canadian study involving over 400 chronic pain patients found that there was a significant reduction of discomfort and an increased quality of life for patients given the cannabis for pain management when compared to the group that was denied it.
The Canadian study also found no significant change in cognitive functions among users of marijuana. In addition the patients reported a significant reduction in anxiety, depression and fatigue. All of this, the report suggests, is proving multiple uses for medical marijuana.
By James Donahue
August 10, 2017
It is tragic that Trump’s appointed Attorney General Jeff Sessions is beefing up a national prohibition against the growth, possession, sale and use of marijuana at a time when voters are calling for its legalization and cannabis has been declared legal for medical and in some cases recreational use in some states.
This is because new research is discovering what many marijuana users have been saying for years . . . the ingredients in this amazing plant not only have healing properties, but provide an effective relief for pain. It also has been found to be a safe recreational substance that is non addictive.
Ironically as Sessions continues his campaign to declare marijuana an illegal substance, his office also is putting heat on the medical community to control prescriptions for pain relief medications that contain opioids. And President Trump only yesterday declared the opioid problem in the U.S. a national emergency. These medications like Vicodin, Percocet, Hydrocodone and Oxycodone are still widely prescribed because they are considered the most effective treatment available among pharmaceuticals for treatment of moderate to severe pain. And statics are showing them all to be highly addictive and very deadly if patients accidentally overdose.
The campaign to take the opioids off the market is growing because studies are showing that millions of Americans have become addicted to them. And over 190,000 users of died of accidental overdoses. But doctors say they have nothing better to prescribe against pain except morphine, which is even more deadly.
Studies have found that a combination of 200 mg of ibuprofen and 500 mg of acetaminophen can offer an even more effective relief of severe pain. One report said this drug combination gives as much relief as a 10 mg shot of morphine. But the kicker is that both ibuprofen and acetaminophen are killers in a different way. They attack the liver and kidneys and eventually kill the patient from extended use.
So what are elderly people suffering from arthritic joints, extreme hip and back pain and other problems that require permanent pain relief to use if they wish to have any quality of life?
The answer appears to be very simple; except our government is making it illegal for folks to turn to the natural pain killer that is probably growing in their back yards.
Laboratory research on the effects of marijuana has been held back in the United States because the plant is still classified as an illegal substance, although not a drug, by the federal government. And doctors are reluctant to prescribe the use of marijuana for pain relief in the U.S. for fear of losing their license to practice medicine. But research in other countries is offering infinitive proof that marijuana is more effective at treating pain than any other available drug.
Because of the government and public stigma, insurance companies will not approve prescribed marijuana for pain, thus forcing patients to resort to opioids, which are covered and thus affordable. In California, where medical marijuana has been legalized, doctors who work with medical marijuana outlets also are reluctant to prescribe cannabis for internal consumption for pain relief. When this system was tested the best we could get was approval of an external patch to be applied to the area of pain. And even the patch was not covered by insurance.
One report noted that using marijuana for pain relief is not only more effective than opioids, but safer. Smoking or consuming the effective chemicals found in the plant are not physically addictive and there has been no documented case of death to marijuana overdose. Marijuana users do not appear to build up a tolerance. Also, when marijuana is used together with opioids, the combination has been found to prevent the development of tolerance and can even help addicted opioid users wean off that drug.
Many people are turning to marijuana for pain relief in spite of the danger of being arrested and charged by federal agents. Yet in states where medical marijuana laws are permissible, statistics show that opioid overdose deaths are reduced by about 25 percent.
A recent one-year Canadian study involving over 400 chronic pain patients found that there was a significant reduction of discomfort and an increased quality of life for patients given the cannabis for pain management when compared to the group that was denied it.
The Canadian study also found no significant change in cognitive functions among users of marijuana. In addition the patients reported a significant reduction in anxiety, depression and fatigue. All of this, the report suggests, is proving multiple uses for medical marijuana.