With years of researching and writing on medical cannabis under my belt, I have seen my fair share of studies linking medical cannabis to a reduction in opioid consumption. All the studies point to one thing: cannabis appears to be effective enough that we should be using it to fight the ongoing opioid crisis.
The latest such study was recently published by the JAMA Health Forum. Conducted by a group of researchers from the University of Georgia, Indiana University, and the University of Chicago, it documents a 16% drop in opioid prescriptions among cancer patients given the option to use medical cannabis.
Consistency Across Multiple Studies
Although most of the studies I have seen – including the most recent – have been small in scale, the results have been astonishingly consistent. Study after study shows that chronic and acute pain patients given the choice between medical cannabis and prescription opioids are not afraid to choose the former. And when they do, they are less likely to go back to opioids.
A similar opinion is expressed in a recent post published by the University of Maryland School of Public Health. That post highlighted several studies as well as a paper written by assistant professor Shelby Steuart. All the literature points to the same conclusion: medical cannabis is a legitimate alternative to prescription opioids.
Recognition in the States
The connection between state-legal medical cannabis and opioid prescription reduction hasn’t been lost on the states. Several of them have taken notice of it when crafting or modifying regulations. Utah is a prime example.
According to Salt Lake City’s Beehive Farmacy, acute pain was not originally on the qualifying conditions list when lawmakers first introduced the state’s medical cannabis program. But a couple of years ago, they added it specifically to accommodate surgery patients who preferred to use medical cannabis instead of prescription opioids for pain relief.
Although Beehive does not know exactly how many acute pain patients purchase from their medical cannabis pharmacy, they say there is no reason to believe that Utahans are not choosing cannabis over prescription opioids.
Efficacy and Side Effects
Of course, there are persistent arguments about cannabis’s efficacy as a pain reliever. Conflicting studies abound. Some say it works while others say it doesn’t. What is more important is patient perception.
If a chronic or acute pain patient says that medical cannabis works well enough to let go of prescription opioids, then by all means that patient should be using cannabis. Cannabis does have its own concerns, but it is not merely as dangerous as opioids.
As for side effects, they exist as well. But cannabis side effects are not nearly as bad as those associated with opioids. Let us just take a look at one: addiction.
Cannabis addiction is known as Cannabis Use Disorder (CUD). Although it’s very real, it is more likely to impact long term and heavy recreational use. It’s not normally associated with medical consumption. On the other hand, an acute pain patient could find himself hooked on opioids in a matter of weeks.
It’s Time to Stop Ignoring the Obvious
The positive aspect to all of this is that our political and healthcare leaders long ago recognized the ongoing opioid crisis. The negative aspect is that far too many of those leaders still ignore medical cannabis as a potential solution.
It’s time to stop ignoring the obvious. The amount of evidence in support of medical cannabis as an opioid alternative continues to grow. Study after study reaches the same conclusion: state-legal medical cannabis reduces opioid consumption among chronic and acute pain patients.
