There has been rising concern on whether cannabis could act as an either replacement or adjuvant to opioid as a pain relief medication in these past few years. It has been suggested that cannabis may help relieve pain and is not linked to the opioid-type addictive substances.
There is continued study on cannabis, but the first assessments seem to recommend its use in the alleviation of pain. Get in touch with the experts to know how cannabis might be the answer to tackling opioids.
What Does Current Research State on Cannabis and Pain Control?
Cannabinoids, which are chemicals taking place naturally in cannabis, have been suggested to have a relationship with the body’s endocannabinoid system with an implication of being capable of contributing to relief from pain.
This has made some researchers consider cannabis as safe to administer for patients with chronic pains as compared to opioids. Though more clinical trials need to be conducted to support the findings and know the effectiveness and side effects in the long run.
Is cannabis safer?
Cannabis advocates suggest that cannabis is a safer opiate substitute, because it is less addictive and does not cause fatal overdoses. There are even some states in some parts of the world that have been cross legislating medicinal marijuana as one of the remedies for chronic pain disorders which were previously treated with opioids.
Such a trend shows that there is an increasing opinion that cannabis could be useful for reducing the rate of opioid use.
What are the issues that arise when it comes to the use of cannabis in treatment plans?
However, there are a number of challenges preventing the use of cannabis in standard medical practices despite proposed benefits. Some of them include: regulatory restraints, disparate laws across the states, and the necessity of further clinical investigation.
These issues are all significant challenges that healthcare providers and policymakers must face to promote the appropriate use of cannabis as a component of well- rounded pain management.
Conclusion
Despite the controversy and especially the ongoing debate on the effectiveness of cannabis in mitigating the opioid crisis, there is becoming a trend in understanding cannabis as an alternative or complementary therapy.
Supporters predict that cannabis may lessen some of the negative outcomes linked to opioids, providing patients and clinicians more resources in managing their pain. Nonetheless, more extensive analysis and thorough examination of policy implications are required to realize the overall potential of cannabis to address multifaceted issues of the opioid crisis.
