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While many people who are opposed to cannabis continue to try to link it with opioids, studies that show otherwise continue to pile up.
The latest study was published online last month in Substance Use & Misuse. The study supported evidence showing that medical cannabis can actually replace or reduce opioid usage in patients. Using a large sample size, they found that the majority of patients, 79%, reported that after beginning a regimen of medical cannabis, they were able to reduce or stop altogether their use of other pain medications. Researchers found that patients reported improvements in terms of bodily pain, physical functioning, and social functioning. The study wrote, “The findings suggest that some medical cannabis patients decreased opioid use without harming quality of life or health functioning.” And that, “At the community level, medical cannabis could have a more immediate role in managing the opioid epidemic than previously thought…” Researchers noted that their data aligned with other studies, saying, “A recent meta-analysis found a medium-to-large effect of cannabinoids to reduce pain and a significant effect of cannabinoids for 30% pain reduction was found across 47 randomized controlled trials. Together, these findings indicate that medical cannabis could be an effective option in treating chronic noncancer pain.” Dr. Peter Grinspoon, a medical cannabis specialist at Massachusetts General Hospital and an instructor at Harvard Medical School, told High Times that he recommends medical cannabis for mild to moderate pain—but not for high amounts of pain. In those cases, opioids and other drugs are usually needed. |
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