Marijuana May Stop Opioid Addictions

The increasing number of patients who claim marijuana helped them drop their painkiller addiction has interested officials and supporters, who are pushing for cannabis as a treatment for the misuse of opioids and unlawful opiates like heroin, and also as a replacement for painkillers. It’s an enticing offer in New England, an area hard hit by the painkiller and heroin crisis. But there is an issue: There is next to no examination showing marijuana works as a treatment for the dependence.

Advocates claim that a developing collection of scientific writing backs the thought, referencing a study in the Journal of Pain this year that discovered chronic pain sufferers essentially decreased their opioid use when taking medicinal cannabis. Also, a study distributed a year ago in the Journal of the American Medical Association discovered cannabis can be viable in treating pain and different conditions.

Be that as it may, the examination misses the mark regarding concluding marijuana helps take individuals off of opioids — Vicodin, Oxycontin and related painkillers — and heroin, and numerous medicinal experts say it’s insufficient for them to certainly recommend it. In Maine, which is considering adding opioid and heroin dependence on the rundown of conditions that make someone eligible for medical marijuana, Michelle Ham said cannabis helped her end a yearslong dependence on painkillers she took for an awful back and neck.

Tired of feeling “like a zombie,” the 37-year-old mother of two chose to stop abruptly, which she said brought on shaking and other withdrawal side effects. At that point, a companion mentioned marijuana, which Maine had authorized in 1999 for chronic pain and a list of other therapeutic conditions. She attempted in 2013 and said the agony is under control. Also, she hasn’t returned tp the opioids.

“Before, I couldn’t even function. I couldn’t get anything done,” Ham stated. “Now, I actually organize volunteers, and we have a donations center to help the needy.”