According to a recent study that was published in the International Journal of Drug Policy, a number of patients say that they are using the cannabis in order to stay off prescription drugs; specifically opioids.
The study involved 271 participants who were all Tilray patients, they conducted a 107-question online survey. Tilray is a licensed cannabis grower and they were actually the ones who funded the study.
It was found that about 53 percent said that they were using cannabis for pain, among other reasons like mental health issues, eating disorders, and PTSD.
When it comes to switching pharmaceutical drugs out for cannabis:
- 32% of the participants said they were making the switch from opioids
- 16% said they were switching from benzos
- 12% percent from some variety of anti-depressant medication.
If these patients really are switching out the big pharma drugs for cannabis, then they must be getting some sort of remedy from it, otherwise they wouldn't be making the switch. These findings add to past research in this area which has also suggested that more patients have been turning to cannabis and dropping their addiction to opioids.
One of the main concerns that the patients reported as their influence for making the switch, was that they believed there would be less negative side effects associated with cannabis, as compared to taking their regular pharmaceutical prescription. More research is needed in this area to further explore why people are making the switch and to analyze what sort of benefits they are seeing from it.
At the moment there are millions of people abusing opioids and other pharmaceutical prescriptions, with many overdoses taking thousands of lives every year. Billions of people in the world suffer from chronic pain and most people are typically prescribed opioids to manage their pain symptoms.
Previous studies that have investigated cannabis use in this area, have noted that the cannabis doesn't prompt any consequential increase in addictive behavior. States that have embraced the natural right of their citizens to consume this plant, have seen that more patients are turning in this direction, which researchers suggest can help to reduce the risk of overdoses, among of benefits.
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The information that is posted above is not intended or implied to ever be used as any substitute for professional medical advice, or diagnosis or treatment. The above is posted for informational purposes only.
Source:
www.ijdp.org/article/S0955-3959(17)30013-0/abstract
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/british-columbia/patients-report-choosing-marijuana-over-opioids-for-pain-study/article34156817/
http://ireadculture.com/patients-prefer-cannabis-opioids-according-new-canadian-survey/
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/could-medical-cannabis-break-the-painkiller-epidemic/
https://www.pennmedicine.org/news/news-releases/2014/august/penn-study-shows-25-percent-fe
http://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/1898878?resultClick=3
http://www.businessinsider.com/science-how-marijuana-compares-to-opioids-2017-2
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