{"componentChunkName":"component---common-build-tags-template-js","path":"/tag/opioids/3","result":{"data":{"allArticle":{"edges":[{"node":{"id":"Article_2534-markdown","title":"Cannabis a Viable Solution to Curbing the Opioid Epidemic","slug":"cannabis-a-viable-solution-to-curbing-the-opioid-epidemic","content":"The opioid epidemic has reached epic proportions—in 2016 it decreased overall life expectancy in the United States for the second year in a row. As doctors and patients seek alternatives to pain management, one plant comes up time and time again: marijuana. \r\n\r\nAccording to various surveys and studies conducted across the country, cannabis may be our best hope for combating the opioid crisis. Marijuana’s pain-fighting properties can help people reduce or even stop their opioid consumption altogether.   \r\n\r\nFOLLOW US ON [FACEBOOK](https://www.facebook.com/pg/hellomdcompany/posts/) & [INSTAGRAM](https://www.instagram.com/hellomd_com/?hl=en)\r\n\r\n### Understanding Opioid Tolerance, Dependence & Addiction \r\n\r\nOpioids are a class of compounds that work on the body’s opioid receptors to produce sedative, pain-relieving effects. Our bodies make opioids like endorphins, but they also come in the form of legal prescription medications like oxycodone, hydrocodone, codeine, morphine and fentanyl—and in illegal forms like heroin. \r\n\r\nOpioids relieve pain by attaching to receptors on your brain cells. This initiates a process that rewards you with feelings of pleasure—ones you’d feel when engaging in basic, necessary life functions like eating and having sex. When opioids activate these reward processes—especially when you’re not in pain, they tend to encourage repeated use simply because they make you feel good. \r\n\r\nRepeated exposure to opioids alters your brain chemistry to the point where the brain functions normally when these narcotics are present, and abnormally when they aren’t. Once this happens, tolerance and dependence can occur. Tolerance requires the user to take more and more of a drug to get the desired effect. Dependence occurs when your body needs the drug to prevent withdrawal symptoms such as muscle pains, sweating and tremors. \r\n\r\nRELATED: [THE RISE OF OPIOIDS—AND CANNABIS’S ROLE IN THEIR DOWNFALL](https://www.hellomd.com/health-wellness/5a3c582c100a820006562f36/the-rise-of-opioids-and-cannabiss-role-in-their-downfall)\r\n\r\nContinued use of opioids due to tolerance or dependence can change brain function to the point where the user becomes addicted to the drug. Addiction is characterized first and foremost by cravings. These cravings lead the user to exhibit symptoms of addiction, which include: inability to control drug use and compulsive drug use—both of which can cause harm to the user and others. It’s important to note that there are many factors, such as environment and genetic makeup, that contribute to addiction.\r\n\r\nOpioid dependency and addiction are considered chronic medical disorders and both long- and short-term treatments are available. Long-term approaches attempt to reverse the abnormal brain functions that drive cravings and compulsions, whereas short-term therapies are aimed at detoxification and relief of withdrawal symptoms.\r\n\r\nBoth long- and short-term treatments can also include other approaches such as behavioral therapy. However, none of these approaches are effective at relieving long-term chronic pain, which is one of the reasons people are initially prescribed these addictive substances. \r\n\r\n### Opioid Abuse: The Numbers \r\n\r\nAccording to the American Society of Addiction Medicine, drug overdose is the leading cause of accidental death in the U.S., and opioid addiction is driving this epidemic: Of the 54,404 overdose deaths in 2015, 20,101 of those deaths were related to prescription pain relievers and 12,990 were related to heroin. \r\n\r\nFrom 1999–2008, overdose deaths, sales and enrollment into substance abuse disorder treatment—all related to prescription pain relievers—increased in parallel with each other. The overdose death rate quadrupled from 1999–2008; sales of prescription pain relievers from 1999–2010 also quadrupled; and admission in substance abuse disorder treatment programs increased six-fold from 1999–2009. \r\n\r\nWomen and those with pre-existing mental health problems are more likely to abuse opioids. According to a 2013 CDC report, [women are more likely to have chronic pain and be prescribed prescription painkillers than men are](https://www.cdc.gov/vitalsigns/prescriptionpainkilleroverdoses/index.html). They’re also more likely to be given higher doses and stay on prescription medications for longer.\r\n\r\nDeaths from prescription painkillers have risen more sharply among women than they have in men: Since 1999, women have seen a 400% increase in mortality compared to a 256% increase in men. \r\n\r\nAccording to a 2004 study in _Drug and Alcohol Dependence_, [at least half of people with an opioid addiction already have a pre-existing mental health issue](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15099655). If we look at pre-existing mental conditions among heroin addicts, these numbers are even higher—some studies estimate as high as 93%. Findings such as these highlight the need for multidimensional treatment programs that aim to address the physical aspects of addiction as well as underlying issues in the user. \r\n\r\n### Cannabis Can Help Reduce or Stop Opioid Use \r\n\r\nAnecdotal evidence supports marijuana’s ability to help people manage chronic pain. \r\nIn a 2016 study conducted by HelloMD and UC Berkeley, approximately 985 surveyed medical marijuana patients reported using opioid-based medication. Of those 985, [95% of respondents preferred using cannabis over opioids for pain relief](https://www.hellomd.com/health-wellness/595413ae914ae4001b40307a/hellomd-and-uc-berkeley-release-study-on-cannabis-use-as-a-substitute-for-opioid-and-non-opioid-based-pain-medication). Moreover, 97% said they were able to decrease their opiate use when also using cannabis, and 81% believed that cannabis by itself is more effective at treating their condition than a combination of cannabis and opioids. \r\n\r\nThese conclusions on cannabis’s pain-fighting abilities have also been studied and replicated in the lab: A 2003 study in _Neuropharmacology_, found that in mice, [the pain-fighting effects of morphine and codeine were enhanced by oral administration of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)]( http://www.thblack.com/links/RSD/JPET2003_304_1010_SyngAfterOralAdmin.pdf). The opposite is also true—when opioids are added to a THC trial in mice, researchers saw a magnified pain-relieving effect. \r\n\r\nThese studies suggest that cannabis can be a useful tool in curbing or even halting opioid abuse, although the mechanism behind these findings still needs further study in humans. THC can stimulate the body’s own production of opioids.\r\n\r\nFurthermore, both the endocannabinoid and opioid receptor systems are linked: They share space in the brain and spinal cord, and their close proximity to each other allows for each receptor system to influence the other. \r\n\r\nThe endocannabinoid system is more widespread, but noticeably absent from the brainstem, where key functions like respiration are regulated. This absence explains why an overdose of opioids can be fatal, but an overdose of cannabis on its own does not lead to death. It also highlights cannabis’s potential as a safer option for pain management. \r\n\r\n### Suggestions for Reducing or Stopping Opioid Use With Cannabis\r\n\r\nAccording to Dr. Perry Solomon, HelloMD’s chief medical officer, there’s no approved protocol for tapering people off of opioids. There are, however, general suggestions you can follow based on what has worked for other people. Dr. Solomon cites the work of [Dustin Sulak](https://www.medicaljane.com/directory/professional/dr-dustin-sulak/), an osteopath who uses cannabis in his practice. \r\n\r\nAccording to Sulak, people can start off with a tincture that has a ratio of one part CBD to one part THC (1:1):\r\n\r\n1.\tStart with a three-day priming period: Take the 1:1 tincture until some kind of effect is felt—it doesn’t have to be powerful. Sulak thinks this small dosage may stimulate the production of both endocannabinoids and endocannabinoid receptors. \r\n2.\tAfter the initial three days, try to slowly increase your cannabis intake, while maintaining your opioid intake, for four to five days.\r\n3.\tNext, continue to slowly increase your cannabis intake, while decreasing your opioid intake. \r\n\r\nDr. Solomon also advises keeping a form of fast-acting, THC-heavy cannabis around—either to smoke or vape in case breakthrough pain occurs. He says that THC can help cut cravings and stop the impulse to take another opioid pill. Effects will be brief, but also immediate, he says.  \r\n\r\nPhoto credit: [Erich Ferdinand](https://www.flickr.com/photos/erix/) \r\n\r\nIf you’re new to cannabis and want to learn more, take a look at our [Cannabis 101](https://www.hellomd.com/health-wellness/cannabis-101-your-quick-guide-to-medical-marijuana) post. [HelloMD](https://www.hellomd.com/) can help you get your medical marijuana recommendation; it's easy, private and 100% online.  ","image":{"childImageSharp":{"fluid":{"base64":"data:image/jpeg;base64,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","aspectRatio":1.3605442176870748,"src":"/static/8567622981813d3f7fd13c315eff7190/14b42/eac311425f6387ec348da249207d1449.jpg","srcSet":"/static/8567622981813d3f7fd13c315eff7190/f836f/eac311425f6387ec348da249207d1449.jpg 200w,\n/static/8567622981813d3f7fd13c315eff7190/2244e/eac311425f6387ec348da249207d1449.jpg 400w,\n/static/8567622981813d3f7fd13c315eff7190/14b42/eac311425f6387ec348da249207d1449.jpg 800w,\n/static/8567622981813d3f7fd13c315eff7190/47498/eac311425f6387ec348da249207d1449.jpg 1200w,\n/static/8567622981813d3f7fd13c315eff7190/0e329/eac311425f6387ec348da249207d1449.jpg 1600w,\n/static/8567622981813d3f7fd13c315eff7190/c6416/eac311425f6387ec348da249207d1449.jpg 2805w","srcWebp":"/static/8567622981813d3f7fd13c315eff7190/58556/eac311425f6387ec348da249207d1449.webp","srcSetWebp":"/static/8567622981813d3f7fd13c315eff7190/61e93/eac311425f6387ec348da249207d1449.webp 200w,\n/static/8567622981813d3f7fd13c315eff7190/1f5c5/eac311425f6387ec348da249207d1449.webp 400w,\n/static/8567622981813d3f7fd13c315eff7190/58556/eac311425f6387ec348da249207d1449.webp 800w,\n/static/8567622981813d3f7fd13c315eff7190/99238/eac311425f6387ec348da249207d1449.webp 1200w,\n/static/8567622981813d3f7fd13c315eff7190/7c22d/eac311425f6387ec348da249207d1449.webp 1600w,\n/static/8567622981813d3f7fd13c315eff7190/3e1c1/eac311425f6387ec348da249207d1449.webp 2805w","sizes":"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px"}}}}},{"node":{"id":"Article_2512-markdown","title":"The Science Behind Why Marijuana Is Safer Than Opioids","slug":"the-science-behind-why-marijuana-is-safer-than-opioids","content":"Every day, [more than 90 Americans die of an opioid overdose](https://www.cdc.gov/drugoverdose/epidemic/index.html). Opioids are a class of powerfully addictive drugs that includes not only the street drug heroin, but also a number of medications legally prescribed for pain like oxycodone and fentanyl. The abuse of opioids has become so widespread that it’s been called a [national epidemic](https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/us-opioid-epidemic). Meanwhile, recent research reveals that medical cannabis can offer equivalent pain relief without the risks of addiction and overdose—because it acts very differently than opioids on essential systems in the brain.\r\n\t\r\nFOLLOW US ON [FACEBOOK](https://www.facebook.com/pg/hellomdcompany/posts/) & [INSTAGRAM](https://www.instagram.com/hellomd_com/?hl=en)\r\n\r\n### The Body’s Receptors Respond to Opioids & Marijuana\r\n\r\nThe human body is home to several systems of receptors—cells that respond to the input of certain kinds of molecules from sources inside and outside the body. These receptor systems are responsible for driving essential processes in the central and peripheral nervous system, as well as the organs and tissues. They trigger the release of hormones and other neurotransmitters that affect temperature, digestion, mood, sensation and much more. \r\n\r\nThe human body produces its own version of the chemicals that bind to these receptor systems, but they also respond to similar substances that are consumed from outside sources, such as opioid drugs and marijuana.\r\n\r\n### The Opioid Receptor System: Wired in the Brain\r\n\r\nThe [opioid receptor \r\nsystem](http://www.guidetopharmacology.org/GRAC/FamilyIntroductionForward?familyId=50) consists of five types of receptors that can trigger responses such as pleasure, pain control and relaxation. Natural opioids, including the endorphins that kick in during exercise, bind to these receptors to produce good feelings and minimize pain. Synthetic opioids trigger the same responses.\r\n\r\nSome opioid-sensitive neurons are found in the spinal cord and digestive system. But the [majority of opioid receptors occur in the brain](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2851054/), which is why opioid drugs are highly addictive and can therefore be extremely dangerous.\r\n\r\nOpioids activate opioid receptors in the mesolimbic—or midbrain—area of the brain, which is home to the pleasure-reward-learning system. That network rewards essential behaviors with feelings of pleasure and stimulates learning and memory, so those behaviors can be repeated. \r\n\r\nWe feel the effects of natural opioids on this system when we enjoy food, reach a goal or engage in a fun activity; we’re rewarded with pleasant feelings, and they’re stored in our memory so that we know that if we repeat the activity, we’ll feel those same positive feelings again. But because opioid drugs are far more powerful than natural opioids, they can quickly hijack the midbrain’s pleasure and reward response, producing cravings, dependence and addiction.  \r\n\r\nMeanwhile, down at the locus ceruleus—or the brainstem—opioid drugs suppress signals of pain and depress the production of a chemical called norepinephrine, which stimulates essential functions like breathing, heart rate, blood pressure and wakefulness.\r\nDuring prolonged use of opioids, the body produces more norepinephrine to compensate for the drug’s effects. When a person stops using opioids suddenly, norepinephrine floods the system, which causes the well-known flu-like symptoms of withdrawal.  \r\n\r\nThis is also why there’s a high risk of death from opioid overdose—because opioid medications damp down the production of norepinephrine, very high doses of opioids can suppress breathing and heart rate to fatal levels, especially if they’re combined with other kinds of central nervous system depressants such as alcohol or sedative drugs. \r\n\r\nThese issues are largely absent when a person consumes cannabis, because it affects an entirely different system of receptors: the endocannabinoid system.\r\n\r\n### The Endocannabinoid System:  A Whole-Body Network\r\n\r\nJust as the body has a system for responding to opioids, it also has a [network that responds to cannabinoids](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26103031) —both the ones we produce naturally such as anandamide and 2AG, and ones we consume, mainly from cannabis but also from other sources such as black pepper and hot spices like turmeric and cumin.\r\n\r\nRELATED: [WHAT IS THE ENDOCANNABINOID SYSTEM?](https://www.hellomd.com/health-wellness/what-is-the-endocannabinoid-system)\r\n\r\nCannabinoid receptors are found just about everywhere in the body—the brain, spine, organs and tissues. These receptors are responsible for supporting a wide range of processes such as regulating temperature and immune responses, and managing pain signals and mood. Because compounds in cannabis such as the psychoactive tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and non-psychoactive cannabidiol (CBD) are so similar to natural—or endogenous—cannabinoids, they bind easily to the same receptors.\r\n\r\nCannabinoid receptors also occur in the midbrain, so cannabis can trigger pleasure and reward responses similar to opioids—relaxation, euphoria and [relief from pain](http://ns.umich.edu/new/releases/23622-medical-marijuana-reduces-use-of-opioid-pain-meds-decreases-risk-for-some-with-chronic-pain). Cannabis can also calm anxiety and ease digestive symptoms by acting on receptors in the central nervous system and vagus nerve. And because cannabinoid receptors are found throughout the body, cannabis can also stimulate immune responses and support the workings of other systems to keep the body in balance.\r\n\r\nAlthough opioid and cannabinoid receptors are both found in the brain, spine and digestive systems, there’s one area of the body where that isn’t true: the brainstem, which contains relatively large numbers of opioid receptors—but only a negligible amount of cannabinoid ones.\r\n\r\n### Cannabis: A Safer and Less Addictive Alternative\r\n\r\nBecause cannabis can trigger responses in the pleasure and reward system, people can want to use more and more—and suffer some uncomfortable feelings and cravings when they stop. But cannabis isn’t likely to cause physical dependence and withdrawal if someone stops using it, because it doesn’t trigger the same processes in the brainstem that opioids do.\r\n\r\nLikewise, cannabis isn’t likely to cause death from overdose. Since the brainstem has virtually no cannabinoid receptors, consuming it doesn’t affect the production of norepinephrine. Suddenly stopping cannabis may disrupt the pleasure and reward loop, but it doesn’t trigger the surge in norepinephrine that causes the unpleasant and potentially life- threatening symptoms of opioid withdrawal. And because the brainstem lacks significant cannabinoid receptors, cannabis use doesn’t depress essential functions like breathing to harmful—or even fatal—levels as opioids do.\r\n\r\nOpioid medications offer relaxation, pleasant feelings and pain relief, but so does cannabis. And its very different effects on the brain and body make it a far safer choice for pain control.\r\n\r\nPhoto credit: [frankieleon](https://www.flickr.com/photos/armydre2008/)\r\n\r\nIf you’re new to cannabis and want to learn more, take a look at our [Cannabis 101](https://www.hellomd.com/health-wellness/cannabis-101-your-quick-guide-to-medical-marijuana) post. [HelloMD](https://www.hellomd.com/) can help you get your medical marijuana recommendation; it's easy, private and 100% online.  ","image":{"childImageSharp":{"fluid":{"base64":"data:image/jpeg;base64,/9j/2wBDABALDA4MChAODQ4SERATGCgaGBYWGDEjJR0oOjM9PDkzODdASFxOQERXRTc4UG1RV19iZ2hnPk1xeXBkeFxlZ2P/2wBDARESEhgVGC8aGi9jQjhCY2NjY2NjY2NjY2NjY2NjY2NjY2NjY2NjY2NjY2NjY2NjY2NjY2NjY2NjY2NjY2NjY2P/wgARCAAPABQDASIAAhEBAxEB/8QAFgABAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAwQA/8QAFgEBAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABAID/9oADAMBAAIQAxAAAAGZ5ULsGoyI/8QAGhAAAwEAAwAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAQISAAMRMf/aAAgBAQABBQLjTtmYEN7YoHRe/8QAGhEAAgIDAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAECERMhIv/aAAgBAwEBPwGEeUPFez//xAAaEQABBQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAQIDERIi/9oACAECAQE/AZU7G7o//8QAGhAAAgIDAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAERMRAhIv/aAAgBAQAGPwLqkVhxTNkn/8QAHBAAAgICAwAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAERITFRcYGx/9oACAEBAAE/IVN6JoTggoNNl/LxEK7EtKeD/9oADAMBAAIAAwAAABBc3//EABgRAAIDAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARASGR/9oACAEDAQE/EMAuNDP/xAAYEQEAAwEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABACGRof/aAAgBAgEBPxBFOSlT2f/EABsQAQADAQEBAQAAAAAAAAAAAAEAESExQVFh/9oACAEBAAE/ECse79MAGCcYF5AdWKMWjXFEELtbT5FLU5H5P//Z","aspectRatio":1.3605442176870748,"src":"/static/94dc33acc98db441769405c28c03410d/14b42/14d3d09a40a0a41c28e03440d3120d28.jpg","srcSet":"/static/94dc33acc98db441769405c28c03410d/f836f/14d3d09a40a0a41c28e03440d3120d28.jpg 200w,\n/static/94dc33acc98db441769405c28c03410d/2244e/14d3d09a40a0a41c28e03440d3120d28.jpg 400w,\n/static/94dc33acc98db441769405c28c03410d/14b42/14d3d09a40a0a41c28e03440d3120d28.jpg 800w,\n/static/94dc33acc98db441769405c28c03410d/47498/14d3d09a40a0a41c28e03440d3120d28.jpg 1200w,\n/static/94dc33acc98db441769405c28c03410d/0e329/14d3d09a40a0a41c28e03440d3120d28.jpg 1600w,\n/static/94dc33acc98db441769405c28c03410d/096b3/14d3d09a40a0a41c28e03440d3120d28.jpg 3226w","srcWebp":"/static/94dc33acc98db441769405c28c03410d/58556/14d3d09a40a0a41c28e03440d3120d28.webp","srcSetWebp":"/static/94dc33acc98db441769405c28c03410d/61e93/14d3d09a40a0a41c28e03440d3120d28.webp 200w,\n/static/94dc33acc98db441769405c28c03410d/1f5c5/14d3d09a40a0a41c28e03440d3120d28.webp 400w,\n/static/94dc33acc98db441769405c28c03410d/58556/14d3d09a40a0a41c28e03440d3120d28.webp 800w,\n/static/94dc33acc98db441769405c28c03410d/99238/14d3d09a40a0a41c28e03440d3120d28.webp 1200w,\n/static/94dc33acc98db441769405c28c03410d/7c22d/14d3d09a40a0a41c28e03440d3120d28.webp 1600w,\n/static/94dc33acc98db441769405c28c03410d/2cee3/14d3d09a40a0a41c28e03440d3120d28.webp 3226w","sizes":"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px"}}}}},{"node":{"id":"Article_2504-markdown","title":"The Rise of Opioids—and Cannabis’s Role in Their Downfall","slug":"the-rise-of-opioidsand-cannabiss-role-in-their-downfall","content":"The American [opioid epidemic accounts for more than 90 overdose deaths per day](https://www.drugabuse.gov/drugs-abuse/opioids/opioid-overdose-crisis). In some states, the number of prescription opioid medications dispensed far exceeds the total population. People desperate for opioids often turn to heroin when they can’t get more prescribed to them. Meanwhile, heroin laced with the vastly more powerful fentanyl is responsible for many fatalities associated with opioids.\n\nResponding to pressure from a number of organizations and legislative bodies, President Trump declared the [U.S. opioid crisis a national public health emergency](http://www.cnn.com/2017/10/26/politics/donald-trump-opioid-epidemic/index.html), prompting proposals for solutions ranging from increased scrutiny of prescribing physicians to making the opioid antidote naloxone available to everyone.  \n\nEven as public attention focuses on the soaring rates of opioid addiction, a potential solution is emerging: cannabis. Many people are turning to marijuana in a variety of forms for pain relief without the side effects and risks associated with powerful opioid medications.\n\nBut the movement to make cannabis more widely available is facing stiff opposition from both the government and a pharmaceutical industry committed to promoting—and profiting from—the sale of opioids.\n\nFOLLOW US ON [FACEBOOK](https://www.facebook.com/pg/hellomdcompany/posts/) & [INSTAGRAM](https://www.instagram.com/hellomd_com/?hl=en)\n\n### How Did Using Opioids Become an American Way of Life?\n\nThe [American love affair with \nopioid medications](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/retropolis/wp/2017/09/29/the-greatest-drug-fiends-in-the-world-an-american-opioid-crisis-in-1908/?utm_term=.04b0ec8c4779)\ncan be traced back to the post-Civil War era of the 1860s and 187os. At that time, morphine, opium and the opium-based laudanum were widely used for pain relief by everyone from Civil War veterans coping with what today would be called post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), to wealthy, bored society ladies. The problem was so widespread that in 1908, President Teddy Roosevelt appointed the first drug czar, known as the “Opium Commissioner.” \n\nThis ushered in an era of increasing regulation of morphine, opium and other opium-based substances, including heroin—a morphine derivative developed in 1899 by the German pharmaceutical giant Bayer. But doctors continued prescribing opioids, encouraged by advertisements and even scientific studies claiming that opioids were not addictive and entirely safe for relieving pain of all kinds.  \n\n\nAs HelloMD’s Chief Medical Officer Dr. Perry Solomon \nnotes, the current opioid epidemic can be traced to the mid- to late-1990s, when the medical community recognized the need to assess and treat pain as a condition all its own. After that, drug companies made it easy—and lucrative—for doctors to prescribe opioid medications that included not only morphine but also synthesized opiates like oxycontin, vicodin and oxycodone.  \n\n### How Pain Helped Shape the Opioid Crisis\n\nToday’s opioid crisis is also related to another phenomenon—an \n[epidemic of pain](https://nccih.nih.gov/news/press/08112015).\nChronic pain affects a growing number of Americans, and this pain is caused by conditions ranging from arthritis to cancer. Data collected by the National Institutes of Health reveal that nearly 25 million American adults experience chronic pain—and almost 40 million experience severe pain, which impacts their health, productivity and quality of life.  \n\nUnder pressure to provide relief, and encouraged by drug companies, doctors have enthusiastically embraced opioid painkillers—so much so that in the past decade alone, deaths from opioid overdose have outpaced accidental deaths from all other causes in some states. Addiction rates have soared, straining medical and social services and compromising whole communities where multiple generations live their lives on pain-related disability.\n\nThe opioid epidemic has also sparked an upswing in heroin addiction and overdose, as people turn to heroin when prescriptions become too expensive or hard to get. And because street heroin is often laced with even more potent synthetics like carfentanil or fentanyl, the potential for overdose and death becomes even greater. \n\n### Cannabis: Age-Old Pain Relief Is New Again\n\nIn some ways, the progression of [cannabis in American \nculture](https://medicalmarijuana.procon.org/view.timeline.php?timelineID=000026)\nparalleled the evolution of opioids. Just as people in years past turned to opium and its products for relief from pain and other conditions, many cultures embraced cannabis for the same reasons. But in the early years of the 20th century, cannabis, or marijuana, was seen largely as a vice of immigrants from Latin America, while the country worried about the widespread addiction to morphine and opium.\n\nIn the 1930s, familiar names in American pharmaceuticals such as Parke-Davis and Eli Lilly sold marijuana extracts as over-the-counter medicine, to be used for purposes including pain relief and sedation. But as opioids gained in popularity, they overtook the emerging medicinal marijuana industry and those products eventually vanished.\n\nBy the 1960s, marijuana was on the government’s radar once again, as it became the symbol of a defiant counterculture. In 1970, the Controlled Substances Act was passed. Not long after, President Richard Nixon declared war on drugs, and cannabis landed on the Act’s highly restricted Schedule 1, along with heroin, LSD and other psychoactive substances—all deemed to have no redeeming medical qualities.\n\nIn the years since, cannabis has become the subject of intense scientific study as researchers work to validate the claims of cannabis consumers that it can control pain as well as, or better than, opioids.\n\n ### Marijuana Beats Opioids for Pain Relief\n\nRecent landmark research by HelloMD in partnership with the University of California at Berkeley is part of the current crop of studies demonstrating the effectiveness of cannabis for pain. That study revealed that out of nearly 3,000 respondents surveyed:\n\n* 97% agreed they could decrease their use of opioids by using cannabis. \n* 95% preferred cannabis to opioids.\n* 81% said that cannabis was more effective for pain relief than their prescription opioids.\n\nAs the opioid crisis continues to damage lives and communities throughout the country, cannabis continues to gain legitimacy as an effective pain reliever without the side effects, risks and addictive potential of opioids. But the federal government remains firm in its opposition to easing restrictions on cannabis.\n\nAnd according to HelloMD’s Dr. Solomon, the pharmaceutical industry remains dedicated to promoting opioid use with a lobbying budget that topped $800 million in the past decade—a figure that dwarfs the spending of the gun lobby.  \n\nIn years past, medical marijuana was developed for pain control, but it was pushed aside by the popularity of opioids. Now, the tables could be turning. Cannabis could lead the way out of the opioid crisis—but the twin obstacles of federal restrictions and pharmaceutical lobbying remain.\n\nPhoto credit: [Eric Norris](https://www.flickr.com/photos/sfxeric/)\n\nIf you’re new to cannabis and want to learn more, take a look at our [Cannabis 101](https://hellomd.com/articles/cannabis-101-your-quick-guide-to-medical-marijuana) post. [HelloMD](https://www.hellomd.com/) can help you get your medical marijuana recommendation; it's easy, private and 100% online.  ","image":{"childImageSharp":{"fluid":{"base64":"data:image/jpeg;base64,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","aspectRatio":1.3605442176870748,"src":"/static/9e390eee162e95dcb814dcd66ce669e8/14b42/076235970e41a6264d290dc220ac4c56.jpg","srcSet":"/static/9e390eee162e95dcb814dcd66ce669e8/f836f/076235970e41a6264d290dc220ac4c56.jpg 200w,\n/static/9e390eee162e95dcb814dcd66ce669e8/2244e/076235970e41a6264d290dc220ac4c56.jpg 400w,\n/static/9e390eee162e95dcb814dcd66ce669e8/14b42/076235970e41a6264d290dc220ac4c56.jpg 800w,\n/static/9e390eee162e95dcb814dcd66ce669e8/16310/076235970e41a6264d290dc220ac4c56.jpg 1024w","srcWebp":"/static/9e390eee162e95dcb814dcd66ce669e8/58556/076235970e41a6264d290dc220ac4c56.webp","srcSetWebp":"/static/9e390eee162e95dcb814dcd66ce669e8/61e93/076235970e41a6264d290dc220ac4c56.webp 200w,\n/static/9e390eee162e95dcb814dcd66ce669e8/1f5c5/076235970e41a6264d290dc220ac4c56.webp 400w,\n/static/9e390eee162e95dcb814dcd66ce669e8/58556/076235970e41a6264d290dc220ac4c56.webp 800w,\n/static/9e390eee162e95dcb814dcd66ce669e8/cc834/076235970e41a6264d290dc220ac4c56.webp 1024w","sizes":"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px"}}}}},{"node":{"id":"Article_2487-markdown","title":"How Opioids & Cannabinoids Interact to Boost Pain Relief","slug":"how-opioids-and-cannabinoids-interact-to-boost-pain-relief","content":"Some recreational marijuana users like to take an oxycodone or another kind of opioid at the same time as cannabis, saying that this intensifies the high. Other people who take opioids for pain say that when they use cannabis, they’re able to take fewer opioids—or none at all. These effects indicate that each of these substances is able to enhance the effects of the other, and [recent \r\nresearch](http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S147148920900157x) now reveals why this might be true.  \r\n\r\nNumerous new studies show that a majority of people who use marijuana are able to either reduce their use of opioids for pain or stop them altogether—great news in the fight against the growing “opioid epidemic” in the U.S. This is because the human body is naturally primed to respond to both these substances, with built-in systems for opioid and cannabinoid receptors—and [these two systems interact in surprising and synergistic ways](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14706563). \r\n\r\nFOLLOW US ON [FACEBOOK](https://www.facebook.com/pg/hellomdcompany/posts/) & [INSTAGRAM](https://www.instagram.com/hellomd_com/?hl=en)\r\n\r\n### Opioid & Cannabinoid Receptor Systems Coexist—& Interact\r\n\r\nThe human body is rich in receptor systems—collections of cells that respond to the input of certain chemical triggers from inside and outside the body. Under ideal conditions, the body is able to manufacture its own supply of these chemicals, which regulate processes as diverse as mood, thinking and responses to pain. Substances from external sources can be similar enough to these natural chemicals to stimulate the same receptors. \r\n\r\nOver the past decade or so, a number of studies explored the relationship between opioids and marijuana for a better understanding of how these two systems interact in the brain and body. Some studies suggest that not only do cannabinoid and opioid receptors co-exist in many of the same areas of the brain, but that [opioids and cannabinoids may also directly interact with each other](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1751787/)\r\non a cellular level. \r\n\r\n### The Opioid Receptor System: Pleasure, Reward & Pain Control\r\n\r\nThe opioid receptor system is hard-wired into many areas of the brain, as well as the spine and digestive system, and is responsible for triggering responses related to pain control, pleasure and reward. The body produces its own naturally occurring opioids, including enkephalins, dynorphins and the endorphins responsible for the “high” folks experience while running and performing other kinds of exercise.  Opioid drugs, including prescription medications such as OxyContin or Vicodin, morphine, and the street drug heroin, also bind to these receptors, blocking pain signals and triggering powerful responses in the brain’s circuits of pleasure, reward and memory. \r\n\r\nBut opioid drugs can quickly overwhelm the body’s natural opioid receptor system. These drugs depress natural opioid production, causing a chain reaction that leads to rising levels of norepinephrine, a chemical responsible for stimulating respiration, heart rate and temperature, as well as the “flight or fight” response. Because the brainstem is rich in opioid receptors, an overdose of opioid drugs can depress those processes to the point of death.\r\n\r\nLong-term opioid use suppresses the excess norepinephrine that’s created when the body produces less of its natural opioids. When a person stops using opioids, this norepinephrine floods the system, causing the often severe effects of withdrawal. \r\n\r\n### The Endocannabinoid & Opioid Systems Overlap\r\n\r\nThe endocannabinoid system (ECS) is more widespread than the opioid system. The two known cannabinoid receptors, CB1 and CB2, are found in nearly every part of the body and respond both to the body’s own natural endocannabinoids—anandamide and 2AG—and to the very similar cannabis compounds tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD).  \r\n\r\nBecause cannabinoid receptors are so numerous throughout the body, it’s no surprise that these receptors share space with opioid receptors in many areas of the brain and spine— with one notable exception: the brainstem. The brainstem  is rich in opioid receptors but nearly free of cannabinoid ones. That explains why large doses of opioids can depress respiration and other functions to the point of death, but marijuana overdose alone does not cause death.\r\n\r\nRELATED: [WHAT IS THE ENDOCANNABINOID SYSTEM?](https://www.hellomd.com/health-wellness/what-is-the-endocannabinoid-system)\r\n\r\nLarge numbers of opioid and cannabinoid receptors are found in areas of the brain related to pleasure, reward and pain control, so both [opioid drugs and cannabis can cause similar feelings of relaxation, euphoria and relief from pain](http://ns.umich.edu/new/releases/23622-medical-marijuana-reduces-use-of-opioid-pain-meds-decreases-risk-for-some-with-chronic-pain). But because of the opioid receptor system’s relatively limited distribution, its effects are largely confined to those three things. \r\n\r\nIn comparison, the ECS affects a wide range of processes and functions directly, or indirectly, by triggering responses in other kinds of receptors. But the [close proximity of those two receptor systems in key areas of the brain and spine]( https://www.ucsf.edu/news/2011/12/11077/ucsf-study-finds-medical-marijuana-could-help-patients-reduce-pain-opiates) make it possible for opioid drugs to affect the endocannabinoid system, and for cannabis to affect the opioid system.\r\n\r\n### Opioids & Cannabinoids Enhance Each Other’s Effects\r\n\r\nOpioids and cannabis compounds can also interact indirectly, as part of the signaling cross-talk among these and other systems in the body, so that they contribute to the expression of other kinds of neurotransmitters farther down the line. In that way, THC is able to enhance the potency of opioids, and certain opioid receptors can boost the pain-relieving properties of THC and CBD. \r\n\r\nCannabis can also make it easier to withdraw from opioids, because it moderates the mechanisms that trigger withdrawal symptoms and reduces the need for medications like methadone or buprenorphine to help folks get through withdrawal.\r\n\r\nPeople who consume opioid drugs and marijuana often say that these substances can have a significant effect on each other, and now science supports their claims. Opioid and cannabinoid receptors not only share space in the brain and spine, but opioids and cannabis can also interact on deeper levels, creating a synergy that boosts the effects of both. Many questions remain about the complicated interactions between these systems, but recent insights about their relationship may lead to new alternatives for pain control—and a way out of the epidemic of opioid abuse. \r\n\r\nPhoto credit: [Théo](https://www.flickr.com/photos/lenny_montana/)\r\n\r\nIf you’re new to cannabis and want to learn more, take a look at our [Cannabis 101](https://www.hellomd.com/health-wellness/cannabis-101-your-quick-guide-to-medical-marijuana) post. [HelloMD](https://www.hellomd.com/) can help you get your medical marijuana recommendation; it's easy, private and 100% online. ","image":{"childImageSharp":{"fluid":{"base64":"data:image/jpeg;base64,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","aspectRatio":1.3605442176870748,"src":"/static/68c51425dc40d954d23680d6460b94a5/14b42/4bf375dd2b5c23be150f87d39a3e2a52.jpg","srcSet":"/static/68c51425dc40d954d23680d6460b94a5/f836f/4bf375dd2b5c23be150f87d39a3e2a52.jpg 200w,\n/static/68c51425dc40d954d23680d6460b94a5/2244e/4bf375dd2b5c23be150f87d39a3e2a52.jpg 400w,\n/static/68c51425dc40d954d23680d6460b94a5/14b42/4bf375dd2b5c23be150f87d39a3e2a52.jpg 800w,\n/static/68c51425dc40d954d23680d6460b94a5/47498/4bf375dd2b5c23be150f87d39a3e2a52.jpg 1200w,\n/static/68c51425dc40d954d23680d6460b94a5/0e329/4bf375dd2b5c23be150f87d39a3e2a52.jpg 1600w,\n/static/68c51425dc40d954d23680d6460b94a5/745df/4bf375dd2b5c23be150f87d39a3e2a52.jpg 1946w","srcWebp":"/static/68c51425dc40d954d23680d6460b94a5/58556/4bf375dd2b5c23be150f87d39a3e2a52.webp","srcSetWebp":"/static/68c51425dc40d954d23680d6460b94a5/61e93/4bf375dd2b5c23be150f87d39a3e2a52.webp 200w,\n/static/68c51425dc40d954d23680d6460b94a5/1f5c5/4bf375dd2b5c23be150f87d39a3e2a52.webp 400w,\n/static/68c51425dc40d954d23680d6460b94a5/58556/4bf375dd2b5c23be150f87d39a3e2a52.webp 800w,\n/static/68c51425dc40d954d23680d6460b94a5/99238/4bf375dd2b5c23be150f87d39a3e2a52.webp 1200w,\n/static/68c51425dc40d954d23680d6460b94a5/7c22d/4bf375dd2b5c23be150f87d39a3e2a52.webp 1600w,\n/static/68c51425dc40d954d23680d6460b94a5/07df4/4bf375dd2b5c23be150f87d39a3e2a52.webp 1946w","sizes":"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px"}}}}},{"node":{"id":"Article_2445-markdown","title":"How Cannabis Can Break the Cycle of Opioid Abuse","slug":"how-cannabis-can-break-the-cycle-of-opioid-abuse","content":"The American opioid epidemic claims nearly a hundred lives a day to overdose deaths. The cycle of abuse and dependence affects millions more as people of all ages seek relief from chronic pain and find themselves addicted. But recent studies show that an overwhelming majority of patients seeking pain relief are able to reduce their opioid use by taking some form of cannabis—and many are able to stop taking prescription opioids altogether. New discoveries about the complex connections between the body’s receptor systems for opioids and marijuana reveal why cannabis can be a safe and effective way to break the cycle of opioid use, addiction and withdrawal.\n\nFOLLOW US ON [FACEBOOK](https://www.facebook.com/pg/hellomdcompany/posts/) & [INSTAGRAM](https://www.instagram.com/hellomd_com/?hl=en)\n\n### The State of Opioid Use in America\n\nThe United States accounts for only around 5% of the world’s population, but the country uses more than 80% of the world’s supply of opioids—powerfully addictive pain medications including oxycodone, Vicodin and morphine.\n\nThese drugs are prescribed routinely for treating pain from surgery and for other conditions like arthritis or cancer. Although in most cases they’re intended for short-term use, many people continue to take them for months or even years. And when opioid medications become too hard to get, many turn to their famous street drug cousin, heroin—a risky course that can also include exposure to additives like fentanyl, a synthetic opioid 100 times stronger than morphine. \n\n### How Opioids Work on Our Bodies & Brains\n\nOpioids exert their addictive power thanks to their strong, immediate effect on the body’s own system of opioid receptors. These cells in the brain, spine and digestive system normally respond to natural opioids produced by the body itself, such as dynorphin, enkalephin and the endorphins responsible for the well-known euphoria of a runner’s high.  \n\nOpioid receptors are highly concentrated in the brain, especially in areas responsible for modulating responses to stress; pain; and the cycle of pleasure, reward and learning that supports survival. To produce a feeling of calm and relief from pain, opioids depress the production of a key chemical called [norepinephrine](http://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/neuroscience/norepinephrine). This neurotransmitter activates during stressful situations, but is also responsible for maintaining essential functions in the brainstem such as wakefulness, respiration and heartbeat. An overdose of opioids can suppress these functions to the point of death.\n\n### Cannabinoid & Opioid Receptor Systems Affect Each Other\n\nAlongside the opioid receptor system is a vast network of cannabinoid receptors called the endocannabinoid system (ECS). Cannabinoid receptors are activated by natural processes that create chemicals within the body similar to cannabis, as well as by cannabis in any of its many forms. Cannabinoid receptors are found in most organs and tissues, including the same areas as opioid receptors, with one notable exception: the brainstem. That’s why an overdose of cannabis is unlikely to cause death, because there are very few cannabinoid receptors in the brainstem where your body’s essential functions are regulated.\n\nBoth opioids and marijuana activate common pathways in the brain that are related to pleasure and reward. They also affect the brain’s noradrenergic system, which is responsible for releasing norepinephrine and other chemicals related to the flight or fight response. That’s why both cannabis and opioids can produce a calming feeling.  \n\nUntil relatively recently, research on cannabis and opioids focused on the differences between the opioid and cannabinoid receptor systems to explain why both can reduce pain, but aren’t addictive in the same way. But some [newer studies suggest that these two systems may actually interact with each other](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22048225) —and that this synergy is the key to using cannabis as a way out of opioid dependence.\n\n### Marijuana Can Ease Opioid Withdrawal Symptoms\n\nWhen opioids are used in high quantities, or for long periods, they disrupt the noradrenergic system. More norepinephrine is released, but opioids suppress its expression. Then when a person stops using opioids, those high levels of norepinephrine flood the system, causing withdrawal symptoms such as nausea, chills and diarrhea. \n\nTo ease these side effects, detox and withdrawal programs usually use a combination of an opioid agonist—a chemical that binds to and activates a receptor—like buprenorphine or methadone (both opioids themselves), plus a drug such as clonidine, which suppresses norepinephrine production. Over time, many people continue to take these kinds of medications to stave off withdrawal and work on their recovery. But active compounds in marijuana may be able to break this cycle of using opioids to treat opioid dependence.\n\nRELATED: [CANNABIS: AN EXIT DRUG FOR THE OPIOID EPIDEMIC?](https://www.hellomd.com/health-wellness/59f0d5d6453ba8000f3478d6/cannabis-an-exit-drug-for-the-opioid-epidemic)\n\nOne of the body’s two cannabis receptors, CB1, occurs abundantly in areas of the brain related to noradrenergic activity. Researchers think that using cannabis compounds such as cannabidiol (CBD) may increase the production of the body’s own natural opioids. This can [make opioid drugs more effective for pain relief](https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/755388) and also moderate the release of norepinephrine thereby [reducing the severity of withdrawal symptoms](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3742578/). Not only that, but tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the psychoactive ingredient in cannabis, may increase the release of enkephalin, which can help to stabilize activity in the brainstem during opioid withdrawal.\n\n### Cannabis: Safer and More Effective for Pain\n\nCannabis is still on the government’s highly restrictive Schedule 1 list of drugs along with heroin and other opioids. Unfortunately, this encourages the belief that these two substances are the same: equally addictive and equally harmful. But a growing body of research continues to confirm that marijuana is a safer and potentially more effective treatment for pain than opioids.\n\nIn one recent study conducted by researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, in partnership with HelloMD, [71% of nearly 3,000 active cannabis and opioids users said that cannabis was better than opioids for pain relief](https://arstechnica.com/science/2017/06/survey-pain-patients-overwhelmingly-prefer-medical-marijuana-over-opioids/) —and 97% said that they could reduce their use of opioids if marijuana was available. These findings echo other recent research showing that a majority of patients prefer marijuana to opioids for pain relief—and new insights into the interaction between the body’s cannabinoid and opioid receptor systems may reveal why.\n\nThe differences between the two systems help explain why cannabis is safer and less addictive than prescription opioids. But it’s the unexpected connections they share that may just hold the missing key to breaking the cycle of dependence on opioid drugs.\n\nPhoto credit: [Marco Verch](https://www.flickr.com/people/149561324@N03/)\n\nIf you’re new to cannabis and want to learn more, take a look at our [Cannabis 101](https://www.hellomd.com/health-wellness/56201c206430320006bb0000/cannabis-101-your-quick-guide-to-medical-marijuana) post. [HelloMD](https://www.hellomd.com/) can help you get your medical marijuana recommendation; it's easy, private and 100% online.  ","image":{"childImageSharp":{"fluid":{"base64":"data:image/jpeg;base64,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","aspectRatio":1.3605442176870748,"src":"/static/752e43813e3c6cc4a8cc8c8b83110030/14b42/e60b731c7abe38d0e00398dd333ac2fd.jpg","srcSet":"/static/752e43813e3c6cc4a8cc8c8b83110030/f836f/e60b731c7abe38d0e00398dd333ac2fd.jpg 200w,\n/static/752e43813e3c6cc4a8cc8c8b83110030/2244e/e60b731c7abe38d0e00398dd333ac2fd.jpg 400w,\n/static/752e43813e3c6cc4a8cc8c8b83110030/14b42/e60b731c7abe38d0e00398dd333ac2fd.jpg 800w,\n/static/752e43813e3c6cc4a8cc8c8b83110030/47498/e60b731c7abe38d0e00398dd333ac2fd.jpg 1200w,\n/static/752e43813e3c6cc4a8cc8c8b83110030/0e329/e60b731c7abe38d0e00398dd333ac2fd.jpg 1600w,\n/static/752e43813e3c6cc4a8cc8c8b83110030/69755/e60b731c7abe38d0e00398dd333ac2fd.jpg 2048w","srcWebp":"/static/752e43813e3c6cc4a8cc8c8b83110030/58556/e60b731c7abe38d0e00398dd333ac2fd.webp","srcSetWebp":"/static/752e43813e3c6cc4a8cc8c8b83110030/61e93/e60b731c7abe38d0e00398dd333ac2fd.webp 200w,\n/static/752e43813e3c6cc4a8cc8c8b83110030/1f5c5/e60b731c7abe38d0e00398dd333ac2fd.webp 400w,\n/static/752e43813e3c6cc4a8cc8c8b83110030/58556/e60b731c7abe38d0e00398dd333ac2fd.webp 800w,\n/static/752e43813e3c6cc4a8cc8c8b83110030/99238/e60b731c7abe38d0e00398dd333ac2fd.webp 1200w,\n/static/752e43813e3c6cc4a8cc8c8b83110030/7c22d/e60b731c7abe38d0e00398dd333ac2fd.webp 1600w,\n/static/752e43813e3c6cc4a8cc8c8b83110030/96ec1/e60b731c7abe38d0e00398dd333ac2fd.webp 2048w","sizes":"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px"}}}}},{"node":{"id":"Article_2448-markdown","title":"3 Popular Questions About Marijuana & Opioids Answered","slug":"3-popular-questions-about-marijuana-and-opioids-answered","content":"Opioids are all over the news these days, and with good reason. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 91 people a day die from an opioid overdose—and almost half of those involve a prescription. Everyone agrees that we’re in the midst of a terrifying opioid epidemic. \n\nThough highly addictive, opioids continue to be prescribed in record numbers. It’s no wonder people are starting to look for ways to decrease or stop taking opioids altogether. One promising alternative is marijuana. Cannabis has been shown to provide commensurate levels of pain relief as opioid drugs, but without the side effects or possibility of overdose. \n\nHere are the top three questions from our [Answers](https://www.hellomd.com/answers) platform, asked by members of our community, about opioids and the possibility of using medical marijuana in its place. Our members—doctors, cannabis-business owners and experienced consumers—contributed some helpful suggestions to help people explore if medical cannabis could be a way to avoid opioids and all that comes with them. \n\nFOLLOW US ON [FACEBOOK](https://www.facebook.com/pg/hellomdcompany/posts/) & [INSTAGRAM](https://www.instagram.com/hellomd_com/?hl=en)\n\n### Q: I’m having open heart surgery soon and I want to reduce my use of opioids post surgery. Is the use of cannabis safe? If OK, is smoking or vaping OK?\n\nA: @PerrySolomonMD I think that's an excellent idea. Studies have shown that cannabis use with opioids can decrease your opioid use up to 25%. However, there are several things to consider. After your surgery for several weeks your medications may be changed, added or discontinued by your cardiologist or surgeon. These changes can affect your blood pressure and heart rate, so both should be stable before starting cannabis since it can sometimes cause changes in both. During this time, you might need to take some narcotics that the surgeon has prescribed. Everyone's reaction to the chest wall pain after open heart surgery is different and you may find that your pain is minimal by the time your medications, blood pressure and heart rate are stabilized. \n\nWhen all is stable I would suggest speaking with the surgeon and cardiologist to tell them that you would like to take cannabis for pain, if in fact it is still there, to decrease your use of narcotics. Cardiac surgery patients usually begin cardiac rehabilitation two to four weeks after uncomplicated cardiac surgery, but this depends on your physical condition prior to surgery and other factors such as any difficulties during or after surgery.\n\nWhen cardiac rehab does begin you may experience chest wall pain from the deeper breathing that you get from the exercise program to strengthen the heart muscle than you get from rehabilitation. It is this chest wall discomfort or pain that you might need to use cannabis for if anti-inflammatories do not work (which sometimes is all that is needed at this point).\n\nNow to finally answer your question. Since it’s usually the chest incision that causes the most discomfort after open heart surgery (verses minimally invasive cardiac surgery that can be performed if possible), I would avoid both smoking and vaping cannabis. The reason being, though both give the fastest effect, they both can cause irritation to your lungs if you’re not used to inhaling them, which can cause coughing. This of course can be painful with a fresh chest wall incision.\n\nI would tend to use a tincture that can start to take effect within 15 to 30 minutes. A capsule is another option. I would tend to avoid edibles, except perhaps in the evening for sleep, only for the reason that the effect can take one to two hours and you would like pain relief faster than that.\n\nSpeaking of cardiac rehab, it has been shown to significantly decrease your chances of another cardiac event and I would highly recommendation beginning it as soon as possible after your surgery. If you need cannabis to help tolerate it instead of narcotics, then go for it!\n\n`embed: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6XviriBbciU#action=share`\n\n[Read more answers to this question.](https://www.hellomd.com/answers/572d21632e46b200080000c9/i-m-having-open-heart-surgery-soon-and-i-want-to-reduce-my-use-of-opioids-post-surgery-is-the-use-of-cannabis-safe)\n\nRELATED: [CANNABIS: AN EXIT DRUG FOR THE OPIOID EPIDEMIC?](https://www.hellomd.com/health-wellness/59f0d5d6453ba8000f3478d6/cannabis-an-exit-drug-for-the-opioid-epidemic)\n\n### Q: My mom wants to get off of the opioid meds, but she doesn’t want to replace it with THC.\n***My mom had chronic pain due to nerve damage. She currently uses CBD and is working to stop using opioids. It’s not going as well as we hoped it would, but is there something she can use to get off the opioids and not replace it with THC?*** \n\nA: [@nurit]( https://www.hellomd.com/people/nurit) Hello there, I hope this finds you well! \n\nI'd like to state I'm not a doctor. I own a delivery service in Marin County and I'm proud to say I have helped dozens of people get off opiates and onto cannabis—I think that everyone's body is different and it will take some experimenting on how much/which strains/methods you use of cannabis but yes you will most likely be very successful switching/detoxing from opiates and onto cannabis. \n\nI found these articles helpful! \n\nhttps://www.hellomd.com/health-wellness/595413ae914ae4001b40307a/hellomd-and-uc-berkeley-release-study-on-cannabis-use-as-a-substitute-for-opioid-and-non-opioid-based-pain-medication\n\nhttps://www.leafly.com/news/science-tech/the-medical-minute-cannabis-and-opioids \n\nhttp://www.beyondthc.com/hellomd-data-will-confirm-cannabis-as-substitute-for-opioids/ \n\nI hope this was helpful! \n\n### Q: Pain tolerance and CBD strength\n***I have been taking very strong painkillers/opioids for years and was wondering if that would/should impact the strength of CBD needed to relieve my pain.*** \n\nA: @CannaBear My aunt that had been on opioids for years for cancer-related issues switched to cannabis and quickly realized how effective the cannabis treatment was for her. The body reacts differently to cannabis-derived products, so always start slow and work your way up to what works. All cannabis products have a learning curve that varies from every individual, so be patient in finding your dosage. My aunt did well with 2:1 CBD to THC tinctures.\n\n`embed: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IBs0NR4Nu70`\n\nPhoto credit: [frankieleon](https://www.flickr.com/people/armydre2008/)\n\nIf you’re new to cannabis and want to learn more, take a look at our [Cannabis 101](https://www.hellomd.com/health-wellness/56201c206430320006bb0000/cannabis-101-your-quick-guide-to-medical-marijuana) post. [HelloMD](https://www.hellomd.com/) can help you get your medical marijuana recommendation; it's easy, private and 100% online. ","image":{"childImageSharp":{"fluid":{"base64":"data:image/jpeg;base64,/9j/2wBDABALDA4MChAODQ4SERATGCgaGBYWGDEjJR0oOjM9PDkzODdASFxOQERXRTc4UG1RV19iZ2hnPk1xeXBkeFxlZ2P/2wBDARESEhgVGC8aGi9jQjhCY2NjY2NjY2NjY2NjY2NjY2NjY2NjY2NjY2NjY2NjY2NjY2NjY2NjY2NjY2NjY2NjY2P/wgARCAAPABQDASIAAhEBAxEB/8QAGAAAAwEBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIEAQP/xAAWAQEBAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACAAH/2gAMAwEAAhADEAAAAe67OGhIWf/EABkQAQADAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAEAAhEDIf/aAAgBAQABBQIl/Q64UTOyZP/EABgRAAIDAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABERIh/9oACAEDAQE/AUo0sz//xAAXEQEAAwAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAREh/9oACAECAQE/AZ1T/8QAGxAAAQUBAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAQACEBFhITH/2gAIAQEABj8CVO4MVNIA2PTH/8QAGhABAAMBAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAQARMUFRcf/aAAgBAQABPyGtQiIr2HEFwtc+zGaHK5KPZ//aAAwDAQACAAMAAAAQoy//xAAVEQEBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABEP/aAAgBAwEBPxBoH//EABYRAQEBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABEBAP/aAAgBAgEBPxCySmG//8QAHBABAQACAgMAAAAAAAAAAAAAAREAITFRQWHh/9oACAEBAAE/ELCYZnnZFnbh4NhFHuauVRKvM4yX0oEwd6xH4z//2Q==","aspectRatio":1.3605442176870748,"src":"/static/d2db3198616f1e4b7a6467ffc16a22df/14b42/0cb8605900eacf0afcb824281d0db3d7.jpg","srcSet":"/static/d2db3198616f1e4b7a6467ffc16a22df/f836f/0cb8605900eacf0afcb824281d0db3d7.jpg 200w,\n/static/d2db3198616f1e4b7a6467ffc16a22df/2244e/0cb8605900eacf0afcb824281d0db3d7.jpg 400w,\n/static/d2db3198616f1e4b7a6467ffc16a22df/14b42/0cb8605900eacf0afcb824281d0db3d7.jpg 800w,\n/static/d2db3198616f1e4b7a6467ffc16a22df/6e20c/0cb8605900eacf0afcb824281d0db3d7.jpg 1020w","srcWebp":"/static/d2db3198616f1e4b7a6467ffc16a22df/58556/0cb8605900eacf0afcb824281d0db3d7.webp","srcSetWebp":"/static/d2db3198616f1e4b7a6467ffc16a22df/61e93/0cb8605900eacf0afcb824281d0db3d7.webp 200w,\n/static/d2db3198616f1e4b7a6467ffc16a22df/1f5c5/0cb8605900eacf0afcb824281d0db3d7.webp 400w,\n/static/d2db3198616f1e4b7a6467ffc16a22df/58556/0cb8605900eacf0afcb824281d0db3d7.webp 800w,\n/static/d2db3198616f1e4b7a6467ffc16a22df/fa3a9/0cb8605900eacf0afcb824281d0db3d7.webp 1020w","sizes":"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px"}}}}},{"node":{"id":"Article_2439-markdown","title":"Cannabis: An “Exit Drug” for the Opioid Epidemic? ","slug":"cannabis-an-exit-drug-for-the-opioid-epidemic","content":"Americans make up only about 5% of the world’s population, but use\nmore than 80% of the world’s supply of opioids—a class of powerful painkilling drugs that [accounts for nearly 100 overdose deaths per day](https://www.drugabuse.gov/related-topics/trends-statistics/overdose-death-rates), outstripping all other accidental causes of death.\n\nStatistics like these, say addiction experts, clearly prove that the country is in the grip of an [opioid epidemic that demands immediate action to save lives](http://www.businessinsider.com/opioid-overdose-death-statistics-2017-2016). But the many plans and programs put forward to end the epidemic ignore the safe and effective solution to opioid abuse: offering pain sufferers a better way to manage their pain in the first place. For these patients, marijuana could be the “exit drug” from opioids that helps them avoid addiction.\n\nFOLLOW US ON [FACEBOOK](https://www.facebook.com/pg/hellomdcompany/posts/) & [INSTAGRAM](https://www.instagram.com/hellomd_com/?hl=en)\n\n### No One’s Plan to Get Off Opioids Includes Marijuana\n\nA recent [_New York Times_ op-ed presents a typical approach](https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/30/opinion/opioid-addiction-treatment-program.html?action=click&pgtype=Homepage&clickSource=story-heading&module=opinion-c-col-left-region&region=opinion-c-col-left-region&WT.nav=opinion-c-col-left-region), outlining an eight-point plan with strategies such as improving treatment options, educating children about opioids and training doctors. Conspicuously absent though, was a mention of cannabis as a less addictive and much safer alternative for pain control.\n\nThat absence was so noticable, in fact, that HelloMD’s Chief Medical Officer Perry Solomon, wrote a letter to _The Times_ taking issue with the column’s failure to mention marijuana as an “exit medication” from opioids. In that letter, Solomon cites [HelloMD’s landmark study conducted with the University of California, Berkeley](https://www.hellomd.com/health-wellness/595413ae914ae4001b40307a/hellomd-and-uc-berkeley-release-study-on-cannabis-use-as-a-substitute-for-opioid-and-non-opioid-based-pain-medication), in which 97% of patients were able to decrease opioids or stop using them altogether with cannabis. But even though pain management tops the long list of [conditions that can be successfully treated with marijuana products](https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/treatment/cam/hp/cannabis-pdq), that option is left off the list of possible solutions to the crisis of opioid abuse. \n\n### What Are Opioids & Why Are They So Addictive?\n\n“Opioids” is a general name for a group of [powerful sedative \ndrugs](https://www.drugabuse.gov/drugs-abuse/opioids) that includes morphine; heroin; a large group of prescription medications such as OxyContin, Vicodin, and oxycodone; as well as a newer group of very strong synthetic opioids like fentanyl and carfentanil. These medications act by depressing activity in the central nervous system—and activating powerful responses in the brain’s pleasure and reward system.\n\nThis combination of effects makes it possible for opioids to deliver swift relief from pain, create a relaxing euphoria, but it also means they can easily become physically and psychologically addictive. Opioids can be deadly, too. When a person takes too much, or uses opioids in combination with other kinds of sedative drugs or alcohol, this can depress respiration and decrease breathing to fatal levels.\n\n### A Pain Epidemic Means More Prescriptions\n\nIt’s been said that [Americans are also in the grip of a “pain epidemic.”](https://nccih.nih.gov/news/press/08112015) Chronic pain is the leading cause of long-term disability in the U.S. About 25 million adults experience chronic pain—that is, pain every day for the preceding three months. And around 40 million experience pain that’s severe.\n\nRELATED: [CANNABIS HELPS REDUCE CHRONIC \nPAIN](https://www.hellomd.com/health-wellness/59cbfaff388e3e39f0f313c8/how-cannabis-helps-reduce-chronic-pain)\n\nThe causes of this pain varies widely, from surgical procedures to injuries to chronic health conditions such as arthritis. But whatever the cause, in many situations, a physician’s first move in treatment is to prescribe an opioid medication. And when patients can’t keep getting prescription opioids, they often turn to its cheaper alternative, heroin, which often comes laced with the far more potent fentanyl or carfentanil.\n\n### How Can Cannabis Help?\n\nCannabis contains over 100 compounds. The most abundant of these are delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, the ingredient responsible for feeling “high,” and cannabidiol, or CBD, which has no psychoactive effects at all. Separately or in combination, these compounds have shown promise in treating a variety of conditions, particularly chronic pain, thanks to their activity on the body’s network of natural cannabinoid receptors.\n\nThe human body contains natural receptors for both opioids and cannabis, but these receptors behave very differently—and that can help explain why cannabis can trump opioids for safer and more effective pain relief. Opioid receptors are located throughout the body, but they’re prevalent in the brain and central nervous system. This accounts for their ability to block pain messages and also to trigger powerful responses in the pleasure and reward system.  \n\nBut cannabis receptors are found not only in the brain and nervous system, but also in nearly all tissues and organs. They form an extensive and multi-functional network called the [endocannabinoid \nsystem](https://www.hellomd.com/health-wellness/5751cbd970410e000b00003a/what-is-the-endocannabinoid-system), which plays a role not only in regulating pain responses and mood, but also in managing immune responses, controlling inflammation and keeping all the body’s systems in balance. THC and CBD affect these cannabinoid receptors to produce relief from pain, anxiety and disorders such as fibromyalgia and migraines.\n\nThough cannabis and opioids can create some similar outcomes—suppression of pain and, with THC, relaxation and euphoria—cannabis products are largely non-addictive. And because relatively few cannabinoid receptors are located in the brain stem, there’s little risk that a cannabis overdose could cause death by depressing respiration and heartbeat to dangerous levels.\n\n### Roadblocks Limit Access to Cannabis\n\nThe mainstream medical community has been slow to embrace cannabis as an opioid alternative. As both _The New York Times_ editorial and Dr. Solomon’s letter point out, that may be due to lack of awareness—and also to a lack of research from sources doctors consider trustworthy. \n\nAlthough numerous private sector and academic studies validate the use of cannabis for pain, fierce government opposition to marijuana research restricts access to cannabis for study and prohibits government-funded entities such as the Veterans Administration from even mentioning marijuana to patients. \n\nIn the next decade, opioid abuse may kill nearly half a million people—but an obvious solution remains conspicuous by its absence. In the old days, drug-fearing authorities labeled marijuana the “gateway drug” to harder substances. But today’s cannabis may turn out to be just the opposite—the “exit drug” that stops addiction in its tracks.\n\nPhoto credit: [freestocks.org](https://unsplash.com/@freestocks)\n\nIf you’re new to cannabis and want to learn more, take a look at our [Cannabis 101](https://www.hellomd.com/health-wellness/cannabis-101-your-quick-guide-to-medical-marijuana) post. [HelloMD](https://www.hellomd.com/) can help you get your medical marijuana recommendation; it's easy, private and 100% online.  \n","image":{"childImageSharp":{"fluid":{"base64":"data:image/jpeg;base64,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","aspectRatio":1.36986301369863,"src":"/static/aaa45c26b29854532095b0f55a7e217e/14b42/f81938d7094d10da907866fb3b85ccc0.jpg","srcSet":"/static/aaa45c26b29854532095b0f55a7e217e/f836f/f81938d7094d10da907866fb3b85ccc0.jpg 200w,\n/static/aaa45c26b29854532095b0f55a7e217e/2244e/f81938d7094d10da907866fb3b85ccc0.jpg 400w,\n/static/aaa45c26b29854532095b0f55a7e217e/14b42/f81938d7094d10da907866fb3b85ccc0.jpg 800w,\n/static/aaa45c26b29854532095b0f55a7e217e/47498/f81938d7094d10da907866fb3b85ccc0.jpg 1200w,\n/static/aaa45c26b29854532095b0f55a7e217e/57cfc/f81938d7094d10da907866fb3b85ccc0.jpg 1402w","srcWebp":"/static/aaa45c26b29854532095b0f55a7e217e/58556/f81938d7094d10da907866fb3b85ccc0.webp","srcSetWebp":"/static/aaa45c26b29854532095b0f55a7e217e/61e93/f81938d7094d10da907866fb3b85ccc0.webp 200w,\n/static/aaa45c26b29854532095b0f55a7e217e/1f5c5/f81938d7094d10da907866fb3b85ccc0.webp 400w,\n/static/aaa45c26b29854532095b0f55a7e217e/58556/f81938d7094d10da907866fb3b85ccc0.webp 800w,\n/static/aaa45c26b29854532095b0f55a7e217e/99238/f81938d7094d10da907866fb3b85ccc0.webp 1200w,\n/static/aaa45c26b29854532095b0f55a7e217e/c569c/f81938d7094d10da907866fb3b85ccc0.webp 1402w","sizes":"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px"}}}}},{"node":{"id":"Article_2456-markdown","title":"Why Doesn't My Doctor Know Anything About Marijuana?","slug":"why-doesnt-my-doctor-know-anything-about-marijuana","content":"Anxiety, stress, migraines, insomnia, chronic pain and even [opioid dependence](https://www.hellomd.com/health-wellness/55c91db33934390006220000/cannabis-may-be-safer-than-opioids-for-managing-pain)—there’s mounting evidence that cannabis can be used as an effective treatment for all of these conditions (and more). Yet many doctors don’t know much about the efficacy of marijuana. Attitudes towards cannabis and the people who consume it are improving, but unfortunately the stigma still lingers. And because marijuana is still illegal at the federal level and classed as a Schedule 1 drug, most physicians don’t receive formal training in schools on medicinal marijuana and there are very few medical studies done on the plant, so doctors don’t have any concrete information to go on. \n\nFOLLOW US ON [FACEBOOK](https://www.facebook.com/pg/hellomdcompany/posts/) & [INSTAGRAM](https://www.instagram.com/hellomd_com/?hl=en)\n\n### Doctors Are Behind the Curve in Medical Marijuana\n\nA recent study conducted by the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis revealed that [medical schools are doing a very poor job in educating their students on cannabis](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28892720)—medical or recreational. \n\nIn a survey that included more than 100 medical school deans and 258 medical residents and fellows, 85% of students admitted that they’d never received any sort of cannabis education. The study also revealed that only 9% of medical schools provide any kind of cannabis education to their students—despite 29 states (plus the District of Columbia) having access to some form of legal medical or recreational marijuana. \n\n### The Legal Gray Area in Marijuana as Medicine\n\nCannabis has been intentionally shut out of the conversation when it comes to medicine in the U.S. Although at the state level cannabis is legal in some locations, the federal government maintains that it's still illegal and has listed it as a Schedule 1 controlled substance, along with drugs like heroin, LSD and ecstasy. This classification means that in the eyes of the federal government, marijuana has no known medical uses whatsoever. This also makes it extremely difficult for researchers to gain access to marijuana for studies. \n\nHelloMD’s Chief Medical Officer Dr. Perry Solomon notes, ”The U.S. government’s stance creates an environment of fear for most practicing physicians, who must keep up with the most current laws in their state to ensure that they're allowed to recommend cannabis to their patients. Even if this is the case, most worry, unnecessarily, that they’ll get in trouble with the D.E.A. if they do so. Thankfully, there hasn’t been a government crackdown on prescribing physicians in legal states in many years. \n\n“There have been more than 8,000 studies done worldwide showing the efficacy of cannabis in treating a variety of medical conditions. However, the tendency of U.S. physicians is to only look at studies that come from the mainstream medical schools and universities in this country. The Schedule 1 status of cannabis makes those studies very difficult to perform.”\n\nRELATED: [SURVEY REVEALS 76% OF DOCTORS WOULD APPROVE MEDICAL MARIJUANA USE](https://www.hellomd.com/health-wellness/55f45ff26463310006530000/survey-reveals-76-of-doctors-would-approve-medical-marijuana-use)\n\n### Fighting on the Front Lines for Cannabis\n\nSome organizations within the medical community like [The American Cannabis Nurses Association](https://cannabisnurses.org) advocate for the use of cannabis in medical treatment. These groups raise awareness of medicinal cannabis among healthcare providers through education, research and policy development. \n\nHelloMD is also a great resource to connect to doctors who’ve studied medicinal marijuana extensively. We offer access to doctors for consultations as well as the [Answers](https://www.hellomd.com/answers) platform, where folks can ask a medical professional about anything and everything marijuana related.\n\n### Doctors Need to Know about Cannabis\n\nAs more people gain access to medical marijuana, doctors need to be knowledgeable about:\n\n>* how the plant affects the body—an in-depth understanding of how the endocannabinoid system functions.\n>* the various conditions that cannabis can treat.\n>* perhaps most importantly, how it interacts with other prescription medications. \n\nMost people rely on the folks at their local dispensary or more experienced friends for medicinal marijuana advice, but with other prescriptions you wouldn’t accept guidance in regards to dosage, consumption method or side effects from anyone but your doctor. It’s time for medical schools to get up to speed with the ways people are using cannabis as medicine so that patients receive informed, professional and safe advice.\n\nPhoto credit: [Jesse Orrico](https://unsplash.com/@jessedo81)\n\nIf you’re new to cannabis and want to learn more, take a look at our [Cannabis 101](https://www.hellomd.com/health-wellness/cannabis-101-your-quick-guide-to-medical-marijuana) post. [HelloMD](https://www.hellomd.com/) can help you get your medical marijuana recommendation; it's 100% online, private and efficient.","image":{"childImageSharp":{"fluid":{"base64":"data:image/jpeg;base64,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","aspectRatio":1.3605442176870748,"src":"/static/35c9d58cf2942836a878fb2059a1791c/14b42/4c5ee15050b565fa4557b8602e086520.jpg","srcSet":"/static/35c9d58cf2942836a878fb2059a1791c/f836f/4c5ee15050b565fa4557b8602e086520.jpg 200w,\n/static/35c9d58cf2942836a878fb2059a1791c/2244e/4c5ee15050b565fa4557b8602e086520.jpg 400w,\n/static/35c9d58cf2942836a878fb2059a1791c/14b42/4c5ee15050b565fa4557b8602e086520.jpg 800w,\n/static/35c9d58cf2942836a878fb2059a1791c/47498/4c5ee15050b565fa4557b8602e086520.jpg 1200w,\n/static/35c9d58cf2942836a878fb2059a1791c/231d7/4c5ee15050b565fa4557b8602e086520.jpg 1393w","srcWebp":"/static/35c9d58cf2942836a878fb2059a1791c/58556/4c5ee15050b565fa4557b8602e086520.webp","srcSetWebp":"/static/35c9d58cf2942836a878fb2059a1791c/61e93/4c5ee15050b565fa4557b8602e086520.webp 200w,\n/static/35c9d58cf2942836a878fb2059a1791c/1f5c5/4c5ee15050b565fa4557b8602e086520.webp 400w,\n/static/35c9d58cf2942836a878fb2059a1791c/58556/4c5ee15050b565fa4557b8602e086520.webp 800w,\n/static/35c9d58cf2942836a878fb2059a1791c/99238/4c5ee15050b565fa4557b8602e086520.webp 1200w,\n/static/35c9d58cf2942836a878fb2059a1791c/bd6e8/4c5ee15050b565fa4557b8602e086520.webp 1393w","sizes":"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px"}}}}},{"node":{"id":"Article_2393-markdown","title":"Cannabis & Chronic Pain: Margaret’s Success Story","slug":"cannabis-and-chronic-pain-margarets-success-story","content":"New York’s medical cannabis program currently serves over 31,000 registered patients. Margaret is one of those patients, and this is her story about how she’s successfully using cannabis to reduce her dependence on opioids to combat her chronic pain.\n\n“I was actually excited to speak with you!” says Margaret when answering the phone. A patient at PharmaCannis’ Amherst location for the last four months, Margaret felt it was time to share her story. “I’ve had five cervical neck fusions from a tractor trailer accident,” she adds. “I can barely move my neck.” She takes CBD oil for pain management and to help improve her mobility.\n\nFOLLOW US ON [FACEBOOK](https://www.facebook.com/pg/hellomdcompany/posts/) & [INSTAGRAM](https://www.instagram.com/hellomd_com/?hl=en)\n\n### Almost Two Decades on Opioid Painkillers\n\nEver since the accident happened in 1999, Margaret has been taking narcotics for the pain. “Unfortunately, both of my surgeons said there’s no way I’m going to be off the narcotics because of the damage,” she explains. “My outlook wasn’t too great because narcotics definitely taint your quality of life. You’re always exhausted and the side effects … I can’t begin to tell you.”\n\nMargaret’s regime didn’t end with the medications; she also tried various procedures that she hoped would improve her situation. “Trigger points three times a month, years of therapy, they’ve burned my nerve endings,” she says. Despite tremendous discomfort and no assurances that the procedures would work, she was willing to try anything that might help. “Everything was very invasive and painful,” Margaret recalls. “I’ve tried everything out there. You can even ask my doctors or surgeons; they say they’ve never seen anybody try so hard.”\n\nFinding relief from the pain felt impossible. “I was really at a point before I tried cannabis where I felt, I can’t do this anymore, my body’s giving out, I’m tired.” Then earlier this year Margaret’s doctor revealed that he had three patients currently taking medical cannabis, and their reports had been positive. “He said I’d been through hell and back and suggested I give cannabis a shot.” \n\nRELATED: [MEDICAL MARIJUANA DOCTORS: WHERE ARE THEY?](https://www.hellomd.com/health-wellness/5806c02b5bcbef00076268ad/medical-marijuana-doctors-where-are-they)\n\n### Overcoming the Stigma to Give Cannabis a Try\n\nMargaret was reluctant. “To be honest, I just wasn’t sure it would work with everything I had tried out there,” she says. The negative stigma she’d attached to cannabis her entire life fueled her doubts even further. “It was a no-no. The way I was raised, I never smoked pot. I didn’t know how to do it. I was a cheerleader, you know what I mean?”\n\nMargaret didn’t even know New York’s medical cannabis program had begun or that she might even benefit. “I knew about cannabis treating seizures and chronic pain, cancer, that’s it. I associated medical cannabis with pot, and I would never try it, are you kidding me?” Still, she decided to visit PharmaCannis in Amherst and from the moment she walked in, Margaret’s life changed.\n\n“The first thing I have to say, the staff …” she pauses for a moment, then continues, “I just wish my doctor’s office every other place had a staff as nice as these people. They really do care.” Her PharmaCannis pharmacist guided her through the process and titration of the right CBD-to-THC dosage to best suit her needs.\n\nThe result? Margaret is experiencing pain relief for the first time in over 18 years.\n\n![](https://hellomd-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/59de618e5fea3938e500c3cd/embedded_images/59de68299ce4ed3be156c3cb/image2.png)\n\n### Getting Off Opioids with the Help of Cannabis\n\n“What a difference,” she says, her voice trembling. “And I thought, well OK, maybe it’s just going to work a little bit and then like everything else, it’ll stop.” \n\nWhile the pain will never be completely gone, Margaret has already seen improvements in just four months. “My outlook is better, and my mood is better because I finally found something that helps after everything that I’ve gone through. Is the pain gone? Of course not. But if I could just control it a few hours a day, that’s all I’m asking for. I know my life will never be the same, and I’ve accepted that fact, but I can’t begin to tell you what cannabis has done for me.”\n\nMargaret still takes Opana ER, a narcotic that her doctor says she’ll need for the rest of her life, but thanks to medical cannabis she has been able to cut back her usage of another opioid. “I went from three Nucynta pills a day to two pills a day within just three months,” she says proudly. “My goal is to get this one completely out of my life and just stay on the one narcotic.”\n\nMargaret visits PharmaCannis every 10 days and pays out of pocket for more CBD oil. “If cannabis had been around after my accident, truthfully I think I may have had a different type of life. With all the narcotics that I’ve had, this is the only thing truthfully that has made a difference in my pain. I wouldn’t even have had to be on the narcotics.”\n\nShe hopes that cost and outdated stigmas, like the ones she grew up with, won’t prevent people from considering medical cannabis as an option. “I would recommend it to anybody with those conditions. It’s changing my life day by day for the better.”\n\n### Cannabis Gives Patients Hope\n\nMedical cannabis has given Margaret more than pain relief. She also has hope for the first time in years. “I got so disgusted. I didn’t even want to go to the doctor’s anymore,” she says about life before cannabis. Now that Margaret has seen what medical marijuana can do, she has a message for other patients suffering from debilitating pain like hers.\n\n“Don’t give up,” she says passionately. “There are things out there that do work, at least try them. You have to try. I got my spirit back. I got my will back. I have a lot of hope. I’m even thinking that in the future, maybe if this keeps working as well as it does now, that I’ll be off the narcotics completely even though my doctor said I’ll be on it the rest of my life. \n\n“You know, who knows that?”\n\nIf you’re new to cannabis and want to learn more, take a look at our [Cannabis 101](https://www.hellomd.com/health-wellness/cannabis-101-your-quick-guide-to-medical-marijuana) post. [HelloMD](https://www.hellomd.com/) can help you get your medical marijuana recommendation; it's easy, private and 100% online.  \n","image":{"childImageSharp":{"fluid":{"base64":"data:image/png;base64,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","aspectRatio":1.3605442176870748,"src":"/static/6b215f791c51ec83d30ef5c81fbcd4c0/3c17d/afd37144e6c031693e7998f219f1ca12.png","srcSet":"/static/6b215f791c51ec83d30ef5c81fbcd4c0/69585/afd37144e6c031693e7998f219f1ca12.png 200w,\n/static/6b215f791c51ec83d30ef5c81fbcd4c0/497c6/afd37144e6c031693e7998f219f1ca12.png 400w,\n/static/6b215f791c51ec83d30ef5c81fbcd4c0/3c17d/afd37144e6c031693e7998f219f1ca12.png 720w","srcWebp":"/static/6b215f791c51ec83d30ef5c81fbcd4c0/2aa8d/afd37144e6c031693e7998f219f1ca12.webp","srcSetWebp":"/static/6b215f791c51ec83d30ef5c81fbcd4c0/61e93/afd37144e6c031693e7998f219f1ca12.webp 200w,\n/static/6b215f791c51ec83d30ef5c81fbcd4c0/1f5c5/afd37144e6c031693e7998f219f1ca12.webp 400w,\n/static/6b215f791c51ec83d30ef5c81fbcd4c0/2aa8d/afd37144e6c031693e7998f219f1ca12.webp 720w","sizes":"(max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px"}}}}},{"node":{"id":"Article_2348-markdown","title":"Sign Dr. Oz's Petition to Increase Funding for Medical Marijuana","slug":"sign-dr-ozs-petition-to-increase-funding-for-medical-marijuana","content":"The opioid crisis rages on and yet critics of cannabis continue to call it a ‘gateway drug’. Dr. Mehmet Oz, in contrast to this, recently stated on Fox News that he believes cannabis may be [the ‘exit drug’](https://www.hellomd.com/health-wellness/dr-oz-marijuana-can-help-the-opioid-epidemic) for opioid addiction. Dr. Oz has released a petition on [Change.org](https://www.change.org/p/national-institutes-of-health-fund-more-research-for-medical-marijuana-as-a-solution-to-the-opioid-crisis) asking the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the White House to quadruple its funding for cannabis research. NIH currently allots $111 million dollars for studies involving cannabis—only 0.3% of their entire spending total on research.\r\n\r\n[SIGN THE PETITION: Fund More Research for Medical Marijuana as a Solution to the Opioid Crisis](https://www.change.org/p/national-institutes-of-health-fund-more-research-for-medical-marijuana-as-a-solution-to-the-opioid-crisis)\r\n\r\n`embed: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v4qbSRy-Xog` \r\n\r\n### Outdated Marijuana Beliefs\r\n\r\nAccording to Dr. Oz, “Outdated beliefs and policies have prevented our country from funding medical cannabis research but the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine has reviewed other scientific research and found evidence that patients treated with cannabis or cannabinoids were more likely to experience a significant reduction in pain symptoms. Yet the government still says cannabis has no proven medical value.“\r\n\r\nThis statement mimics the results from the recent HelloMD [study](http://online.liebertpub.com/doi/full/10.1089/can.2017.0012) published in conjunction with the University of California, Berkeley. Results of this study which focused on chronic pain, opioids and cannabis showed that 97% of patients were able to decrease their opioid consumption when using cannabis.\r\n\r\n### Cannabis as a Viable Alternative to Opioids\r\n\r\nOpioids have their place for use in short-term acute pain, but their effectiveness in the management of chronic pain been falsely perpetuated by Big Pharma companies and physicians to patients since the late 1990s. With 91 deaths per day attributed to these addictive narcotics, more must be done to help raise the awareness that cannabis is a viable alternative to opioids. With this petition, we hope that NIH will start to take this issue more seriously and increase funding for these studies, which are desperately needed. Please join me in [signing this petition](https://www.change.org/p/national-institutes-of-health-fund-more-research-for-medical-marijuana-as-a-solution-to-the-opioid-crisis) NOW.\r\n\r\n[SIGN THE PETITION: Fund More Research for Medical Marijuana as a Solution to the Opioid Crisis](https://www.change.org/p/national-institutes-of-health-fund-more-research-for-medical-marijuana-as-a-solution-to-the-opioid-crisis)\r\n\r\nIf you are new to cannabis and want to learn more, take a look at our [Cannabis 101](https://www.hellomd.com/health-wellness/cannabis-101-your-quick-guide-to-medical-marijuana) post. [HelloMD](https://www.hellomd.com/) can help you get your medical marijuana recommendation; it's 100% online, private and efficient.  \r\n","image":{"childImageSharp":{"fluid":{"base64":"data:image/jpeg;base64,/9j/2wBDABALDA4MChAODQ4SERATGCgaGBYWGDEjJR0oOjM9PDkzODdASFxOQERXRTc4UG1RV19iZ2hnPk1xeXBkeFxlZ2P/2wBDARESEhgVGC8aGi9jQjhCY2NjY2NjY2NjY2NjY2NjY2NjY2NjY2NjY2NjY2NjY2NjY2NjY2NjY2NjY2NjY2NjY2P/wgARCAAPABQDASIAAhEBAxEB/8QAFwAAAwEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIDAf/EABUBAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAID/9oADAMBAAIQAxAAAAFZPpVyRKn/xAAbEAACAwADAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABAgAREiEiMv/aAAgBAQABBQJbz6injteCIGKz/8QAFREBAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABH/2gAIAQMBAT8Biv/EABcRAQEBAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAEAAhH/2gAIAQIBAT8B6SZv/8QAGxAAAgIDAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAERIRASMVH/2gAIAQEABj8CmC0UPXj9O28f/8QAGhAAAwEBAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAERITFRcf/aAAgBAQABPyFOy6JO3iutFYrMFi+P0JqwCKQ//9oADAMBAAIAAwAAABDz3//EABYRAQEBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAERAP/aAAgBAwEBPxAkmGEm/8QAFhEBAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAREA/9oACAECAQE/EINMpqb/xAAZEAEBAQEBAQAAAAAAAAAAAAABEQAxIUH/2gAIAQEAAT8QcR0ohV5O/MlAVIyQ49ywUSgDxhqHeVE4H2TJ7IECBBzp0rVIb//Z","aspectRatio":1.3333333333333333,"src":"/static/25fd4459915bad1dc64434317e16eabd/14b42/9230e46855adc93761dd4430453ec3a3.jpg","srcSet":"/static/25fd4459915bad1dc64434317e16eabd/f836f/9230e46855adc93761dd4430453ec3a3.jpg 200w,\n/static/25fd4459915bad1dc64434317e16eabd/2244e/9230e46855adc93761dd4430453ec3a3.jpg 400w,\n/static/25fd4459915bad1dc64434317e16eabd/14b42/9230e46855adc93761dd4430453ec3a3.jpg 800w,\n/static/25fd4459915bad1dc64434317e16eabd/47498/9230e46855adc93761dd4430453ec3a3.jpg 1200w,\n/static/25fd4459915bad1dc64434317e16eabd/54ac5/9230e46855adc93761dd4430453ec3a3.jpg 1365w","srcWebp":"/static/25fd4459915bad1dc64434317e16eabd/58556/9230e46855adc93761dd4430453ec3a3.webp","srcSetWebp":"/static/25fd4459915bad1dc64434317e16eabd/61e93/9230e46855adc93761dd4430453ec3a3.webp 200w,\n/static/25fd4459915bad1dc64434317e16eabd/1f5c5/9230e46855adc93761dd4430453ec3a3.webp 400w,\n/static/25fd4459915bad1dc64434317e16eabd/58556/9230e46855adc93761dd4430453ec3a3.webp 800w,\n/static/25fd4459915bad1dc64434317e16eabd/99238/9230e46855adc93761dd4430453ec3a3.webp 1200w,\n/static/25fd4459915bad1dc64434317e16eabd/5e0b8/9230e46855adc93761dd4430453ec3a3.webp 1365w","sizes":"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px"}}}}},{"node":{"id":"Article_2257-markdown","title":"Dr. Oz: Marijuana Can Help the Opioid Epidemic","slug":"dr-oz-marijuana-can-help-the-opioid-epidemic","content":"The miseducation of the public on the healing effects of cannabis has had a huge impact on how stigmatized the plant is in our society. For example, its listing as a Schedule I substance with no medicinal benefits has led to the widespread misconception that cannabis is a gateway drug, which has been [proven to be far from true](https://www.hellomd.com/health-wellness/57eac97c6c3015000798bacd/research-shows-marijuana-is-not-a-gateway-drug). Cannabis may actually be the way out of abusing certain drugs and now this concept may have a popular proponent. \n\nFOLLOW US ON [FACEBOOK](https://www.facebook.com/pg/hellomdcompany/posts/) & [INSTAGRAM](https://www.instagram.com/hellomd_com/?hl=en)\n\n### Marijuana Could Be the Answer to the Drug Epidemic\n\n`embed: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IPscrN8134E`\n\nSurgeon and popular television personality Dr. Mehmet Oz has voiced his support for cannabis as an alternative to opioids in a recent appearance on Fox & Friends. Although he has been known to discuss some interesting and at times controversial practices on his show (most likely for ratings), his ability to take useful information about cannabis and share it with a mainstream audience who are not usually open to positive perspectives on marijuana is important. Especially his claim that marijuana “may be the exit drug to get us out of the narcotic epidemic.\"\n\n### Cannabis and the Gateway Drug Myth\n\nThe term “gateway drug” refers to the idea that there are substances that are highly likely to lead to the use of harsher drugs with more intense effects. The idea behind the myth is that people who try and regularly consume cannabis will eventually grow a tolerance to the high and seek other substances. But this idea fails to address one important aspect of the plant, which is that it does more than just get you high—it improves your mood, helps relieve consistent stress and anxiety, reduces inflammation, helps decrease feelings of nausea, assists with symptoms related to insomnia, and it also plays a major role in the moderation of chronic pain. \n\nRELATED: [Myth-busting Marijuana: How the Gateway Theory Holds No Clout](https://www.hellomd.com/health-wellness/573a52b0e80d140008000067/myth-busting-marijuana-how-the-gateway-theory-holds-no-clout)\n\n### Opioid Abuse in the United States\n\nThe opioid epidemic has been an ongoing issue for quite some time. The United States has a particularly [long history of opioid abuse](https://www.hellomd.com/health-wellness/599e10ff7af635002f2d28f2/the-long-history-of-opioid-abuse-in-the-united-states) that dates back to the introduction of the hypodermic needle, morphine and eventually heroin. Now, these widely abused prescription drugs are responsible for large numbers of deaths among communities of color, veterans and other groups who have turned to the highly-addictive substance for pain relief. The use of these drugs continues despite [evidence](https://www.hellomd.com/health-wellness/59a6db00d651df299fd05eab/cannabis-a-way-out-of-the-opioid-epidemic) that cannabis could put an end to the cycle of dependence and misuse. \n\n### How Marijuana Helps with Chronic Pain\n\nCannabis can be a [safer pain management option](https://www.hellomd.com/health-wellness/55c91db33934390006220000/cannabis-may-be-safer-than-opioids-for-managing-pain) than opioids and has already been proven to effectively [control chronic pain](https://www.hellomd.com/health-wellness/598f893156ef1d0031b26cb0/new-research-proves-marijuana-effectively-controls-chronic-pain) in a number of studies. A Harvard review found that from 1948 to 2015, six out of six general studies on chronic pain revealed that cannabis was responsible for significant improvements for sufferers and this year, a landmark [study](https://www.hellomd.com/health-wellness/595413ae914ae4001b40307a/hellomd-and-uc-berkeley-release-study-on-cannabis-use-as-a-substitute-for-opioid-and-non-opioid-based-pain-medication) released by HelloMD and UC Berkeley showed that 92% of cannabis patients prefer using cannabis to opioids when managing their chronic pain.\n\n### The Support for Cannabis Keeps Growing\n\nThe increasingly undeniable proof of the efficacy of cannabis has inspired people who would not normally show support for cannabis to come forward, like Utah senator Orrin Hatch who has introduced legislation that seeks to expand medical marijuana research. His [new bill](https://www.hatch.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/releases?ID=B9FCD1A1-1BA8-4E48-8AA4-A3FCA2E9D777) is called Marijuana Effective Drug Study (MEDS) Act of 2017 seeks to loosen the restrictions for researchers who are trying to study the medical benefits of cannabis. This bill could not only have a major impact on the future of opioid abuse, but the management of other conditions as well.  \n\nIf you are new to cannabis and want to learn more, take a look at our [Cannabis 101](https://www.hellomd.com/health-wellness/cannabis-101-your-quick-guide-to-medical-marijuana) post. [HelloMD](https://www.hellomd.com/) can help you get your medical marijuana recommendation; it's 100% online, private and efficient.  \n","image":{"childImageSharp":{"fluid":{"base64":"data:image/jpeg;base64,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","aspectRatio":1.3333333333333333,"src":"/static/39a34f9066849ad062dfc6665a9a60d4/14b42/53f765d45f50e7f71ed2b32871e9ff16.jpg","srcSet":"/static/39a34f9066849ad062dfc6665a9a60d4/f836f/53f765d45f50e7f71ed2b32871e9ff16.jpg 200w,\n/static/39a34f9066849ad062dfc6665a9a60d4/2244e/53f765d45f50e7f71ed2b32871e9ff16.jpg 400w,\n/static/39a34f9066849ad062dfc6665a9a60d4/14b42/53f765d45f50e7f71ed2b32871e9ff16.jpg 800w,\n/static/39a34f9066849ad062dfc6665a9a60d4/47498/53f765d45f50e7f71ed2b32871e9ff16.jpg 1200w,\n/static/39a34f9066849ad062dfc6665a9a60d4/54ac5/53f765d45f50e7f71ed2b32871e9ff16.jpg 1365w","srcWebp":"/static/39a34f9066849ad062dfc6665a9a60d4/58556/53f765d45f50e7f71ed2b32871e9ff16.webp","srcSetWebp":"/static/39a34f9066849ad062dfc6665a9a60d4/61e93/53f765d45f50e7f71ed2b32871e9ff16.webp 200w,\n/static/39a34f9066849ad062dfc6665a9a60d4/1f5c5/53f765d45f50e7f71ed2b32871e9ff16.webp 400w,\n/static/39a34f9066849ad062dfc6665a9a60d4/58556/53f765d45f50e7f71ed2b32871e9ff16.webp 800w,\n/static/39a34f9066849ad062dfc6665a9a60d4/99238/53f765d45f50e7f71ed2b32871e9ff16.webp 1200w,\n/static/39a34f9066849ad062dfc6665a9a60d4/5e0b8/53f765d45f50e7f71ed2b32871e9ff16.webp 1365w","sizes":"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px"}}}}},{"node":{"id":"Article_2411-markdown","title":"Cannabis: A Way Out of the Opioid Epidemic?","slug":"cannabis-a-way-out-of-the-opioid-epidemic","content":"The United States is facing an epidemic of prescription medication abuse. Along with high-profile opioids, other medications such as benzodiazepines and sleep aids can also cause dependency and life threatening addictions. But recent research reveals that [cannabis compounds](https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/treatment/cam/hp/cannabis-pdq)\ncan provide safer, more effective relief for pain, anxiety and other conditions than mainstream pharmaceuticals – so much so that many cannabis consumers are reducing their use of prescription medications or abandoning them altogether. \n\nFOLLOW US ON [FACEBOOK](https://www.facebook.com/pg/hellomdcompany/posts/) & [INSTAGRAM](https://www.instagram.com/hellomd_com/?hl=en)\n\n### Prescription Medication Abuse Is An Epidemic\n\nIn the past three decades, the number of prescriptions for opioid pain medications like Oxycontin and Vicodin has soared. These medications belong to the same class of drugs as heroin and opium – highly addictive substances that trigger powerful responses in the brain’s pleasure and reward system along with blocking receptors for pain. \n\nBut although the opioid abuse crisis claims headlines, opioids are only one type of drug with a high potential for abuse. Benzodiazepines such as Xanax, Ativan and Klonopin, which are used to treat conditions such as anxiety, depression and insomnia, can also cause physical or psychological addictions, and so can hypnotics, or sleep medications, such as Ambien and Lunesta. \n\nThese and similar medications act on different pathways in the brain and central nervous system to provide relief for pain, anxiety and depression, and insomnia. But according to a recent study by the [Brightfield Group in partnership with HelloMD](https://www.hellomd.com/health-wellness/5980e279f15fe13b757557d3/largest-cbd-usage-study-published-by-hellomd-with-brightfield-group), cannabidiol, or CBD, can provide relief for conditions in all three groups.\n\nRELATED: [WHAT IS CBD AND HOW CAN IT HELP ME?](https://www.hellomd.com/health-wellness/597fbfd2f15fe1002d7557dc/what-is-cbd-and-how-can-it-help-me)\n\n### Cannabis and the Endocannabinoid System\n\n[Cannabidiol](https://www.hellomd.com/health-wellness/597fbfd2f15fe1002d7557dc/what-is-cbd-and-how-can-it-help-me) is one of over a hundred active compounds found in cannabis sativa, the marijuana plant. Unlike Tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, the compound responsible for marijuana’s famous high, CBD isn’t psychoactive – but it does have powerful medicinal properties, thanks to the body’s “built-in” ability to respond to cannabis.  \n\nThe human body is rich in receptors – protein molecules that respond to signals produced not only within the body itself by neurotransmitters and hormones, but also from outside sources like medications. The endocannabinoid receptor system is a group of naturally occurring cannabinoid receptors found in the tissues and central nervous system. \n\nEndocannabinoid receptors play an important role in maintaining the immune system, reducing inflammation, modulating pain, and managing stress responses and mood. When a person uses cannabis, active compounds such as THC and CBD bind to these natural receptors and affect their responses. \n\n### Cannabis Has Many Medical Properties\n\nAlong with its euphoric high, THC can provide pain relief. CBD can also relieve pain, but it has far more anti-inflammatory and anti-anxiety properties. Since each of these compounds boosts the effectiveness of the other, many medicinal marijuana products contain both THC and CBD in various proportions. \n\nBecause the body naturally responds to the compounds in cannabis, the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes isn’t really new. But as more and more states move to legalize marijuana, research on its medicinal properties has also intensified – and so has interest in its potential for replacing or reducing prescription pharmaceuticals. \n\nGovernment research on marijuana’s medical properties has been limited because marijuana is still a Schedule 1 class drug that, like heroin, is deemed to have no medical applications, but groundbreaking academic and private-sector research continues to demonstrate that in fact, the medical applications of cannabis are substantial.\n\n### Cannabis Can Be More Effective Than Prescriptions\n\nHelloMD recently [partnered](https://www.hellomd.com/health-wellness/5980e279f15fe13b757557d3/largest-cbd-usage-study-published-by-hellomd-with-brightfield-group) with the marketing research firm Brightfield Group to conduct a comprehensive study on the use of CBD. Surveying 2400 members of HelloMD’s community of medical cannabis users about their use of CBD, the study revealed that users most frequently turned to cannabis for conditions such as pain, insomnia, anxiety and depression. Of those, nearly half of them - 42 percent – stopped using prescription medications entirely and used CBD exclusively to treat their conditions.\n\nOther key findings from the study confirm that CBD can be an effective treatment, with 80 percent of respondents agreeing with that statement. And of all those surveyed, an overwhelming majority – 90 percent – said they wanted to buy CBD-only products derived from marijuana – an important distinction, since CBD is also found in hemp.\n\nThose findings echo the results of an earlier [study](https://www.hellomd.com/health-wellness/595413ae914ae4001b40307a/hellomd-and-uc-berkeley-release-study-on-cannabis-use-as-a-substitute-for-opioid-and-non-opioid-based-pain-medication) conducted by UC Berkeley in partnership with HelloMD. Using the same database, researchers set out to study the effectiveness of cannabis as a substitute for opioid and non-opioid pain medications. Of nearly 3,000 respondents to the study survey, 97 percent agreed that they could decrease their use of opioids by using cannabis. Even more striking, 92 percent agreed or strongly agreed that they preferred cannabis to opioids to treat their condition. And 81 percent said that cannabis alone was more effective than using cannabis along with opioids.\n\nAccording to the Berkeley study, cannabis won out not only over opioids, but also over non-opioid based pain medications. Similar numbers of respondents agreed that they preferred cannabis rather than other kinds of non-opioid painkillers to treat their conditions. \n\nA different type of [study](http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/medical-cannabis-and-reduced-prescription-use-300506774.html)\n recently conducted by the University of New Mexico confirms these findings. Working with the Industrial Rehabilitation Clinics of Albuquerque, researchers followed patients in the state’s medical cannabis program to determine whether their use of prescription medications changed while taking cannabis. \n\nNew Mexico requires all prescriptions for scheduled, or controlled, substances to be recorded in the state’s prescription medication monitoring database. That made it possible to track the kind and number of prescriptions participants filled, along with other information such as the number of prescribing physicians they saw and how many pharmacy visits they made.\n\nThe results? Within 6 months of starting a medical marijuana program, 71 percent of patients followed in the study either reduced their use of scheduled prescription medications such as opioid painkillers, benzodiazepines and sleep aids – or stopped using them altogether. \n\n### Cannabis Could Be The Future of Pain Management\n\nThese studies have profound implications for the treatment of pain, sleep problems, anxiety and depression – conditions that typically require powerful prescription drugs with often serious side effects and the very real potential for addiction. Safer and more effective, cannabis may be the most potent weapon in the fight against opioid addiction – and the future standard of care for a long list of chronic health conditions.\n\nIf you are new to cannabis and want to learn more, take a look at our [Cannabis 101](https://www.hellomd.com/health-wellness/56201c206430320006bb0000/cannabis-101-your-quick-guide-to-medical-marijuana) post. [HelloMD](https://www.hellomd.com/) can help you get your medical marijuana recommendation; it's 100% online, private and efficient.  \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n","image":{"childImageSharp":{"fluid":{"base64":"data:image/jpeg;base64,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","aspectRatio":1.3333333333333333,"src":"/static/40e5126ccdc984f76b3e364be3d25086/14b42/d76242753d8a9bb9439096af314490a1.jpg","srcSet":"/static/40e5126ccdc984f76b3e364be3d25086/f836f/d76242753d8a9bb9439096af314490a1.jpg 200w,\n/static/40e5126ccdc984f76b3e364be3d25086/2244e/d76242753d8a9bb9439096af314490a1.jpg 400w,\n/static/40e5126ccdc984f76b3e364be3d25086/14b42/d76242753d8a9bb9439096af314490a1.jpg 800w,\n/static/40e5126ccdc984f76b3e364be3d25086/47498/d76242753d8a9bb9439096af314490a1.jpg 1200w,\n/static/40e5126ccdc984f76b3e364be3d25086/54ac5/d76242753d8a9bb9439096af314490a1.jpg 1365w","srcWebp":"/static/40e5126ccdc984f76b3e364be3d25086/58556/d76242753d8a9bb9439096af314490a1.webp","srcSetWebp":"/static/40e5126ccdc984f76b3e364be3d25086/61e93/d76242753d8a9bb9439096af314490a1.webp 200w,\n/static/40e5126ccdc984f76b3e364be3d25086/1f5c5/d76242753d8a9bb9439096af314490a1.webp 400w,\n/static/40e5126ccdc984f76b3e364be3d25086/58556/d76242753d8a9bb9439096af314490a1.webp 800w,\n/static/40e5126ccdc984f76b3e364be3d25086/99238/d76242753d8a9bb9439096af314490a1.webp 1200w,\n/static/40e5126ccdc984f76b3e364be3d25086/5e0b8/d76242753d8a9bb9439096af314490a1.webp 1365w","sizes":"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px"}}}}}]}},"pageContext":{"limit":12,"skip":24,"numPages":6,"currentPage":3,"id":5590,"name":"Opioids","slug":"opioids","country":"US"}},"staticQueryHashes":["3949754563","4179947113","4202924991"]}