Follow us
CBD Health Medical Cannabis

97% Of Patients Decrease Opioid Medication With Cannabis: New Study Finds

Decrease Opioid Medication With Cannabis
Written by Corre Addam

A new study has found that 97 percent of patients suffering from chronic pain decrease their opioid medication when using cannabis.

And that’s great news for patients who struggle with opioid and non-opiate pain killer addiction, with thousands of people now choosing medical cannabis as a natural alternative.

new study, carried out by Hello MD, published in the Journal of Pain Research, surveyed 3,000 patients suffering with chronic pain, and reached some amazing conclusions. The study, which looked at both opioid and non-opioid-based patients, found that a staggering 97 percent of those questioned ‘agreed or strongly agreed’ that they could decrease their pharma medication when using cannabis. At the same time, 92 percent “strongly agreed/agreed” they preferred cannabis over opioids to treat their condition.

Legal cannabis is used by thousands of pain sufferers on a daily basis, in treating symptoms of chronic pain, nausea, appetite stimulation for cancer sufferers, as well as a whole host of other medical conditions.

It has been noted by many that the current untenable situation, whereby doctors prescribe strong opiate-based medications to treat pain, cannot continue for much longer. With statistics showing thousands of Americans dying annually from opioid addiction and often accidental overdoses.

In 2016 alone, a variety of patients in the U.S. spent over $10 billion on opioid medications. That gives big pharma a dilemma as legal cannabis could shave off an estimated $4.5 billion, from their bottom line. Hence the reason that pharmaceutical companies are now waking up to the realities of medical cannabis, and have started conducting their own research in controlled lab studies.

The new study, entitled, ‘Cannabis as a Substitute for Opioid-Based Pain Medication: Patient Self-Report,’ set out to look at the effects of opioid addiction and overdoses on American patients. The study’s introduction noted that,

“PRESCRIPTION DRUG OVERDOSES ARE THE LEADING CAUSE OF ACCIDENTAL DEATH IN THE UNITED STATES. ALTERNATIVES TO OPIOIDS FOR THE TREATMENT OF PAIN ARE NECESSARY TO ADDRESS THIS ISSUE. CANNABIS CAN BE AN EFFECTIVE TREATMENT FOR PAIN, GREATLY REDUCES THE CHANCE OF DEPENDENCE, AND ELIMINATES THE RISK OF FATAL OVERDOSE.”

While the study is substantial in content, its conclusion is a simple one: “Future research should track clinical outcomes where cannabis is offered as a viable substitute for pain treatment and examine the outcomes of using cannabis as a medication assisted treatment for opioid dependence.”

It is hoped by many that more similar research will be carried out before long, in order to try and get some kind of control over the disastrous opioid epidemic sweeping America today.

Have anything to add? Your voice matters! Join the conversation and contribute your insights and ideas below.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

About the author

Corre Addam

Addam spends the lion's share of his day fixated on his computer screen. When he isn't in front of his computer, you'll most likely find him editing or researching his next fascinating article on his smartphone or tablet. When he manages to pull himself away from technology, you'll find him chilling hard somewhere, probably under a tree with an ice-cold Iced-tea, pondering life...