Katelyn Baker
Well-Known Member
Vermont has approved medical cannabis for chronic pain in an effort to reduce opiate abuse. Will other states follow suit?
The country is currently mired in what some are calling an "opioid painkiller crisis," and Vermont Gov. Peter Shumlin took concrete action earlier this month to address the crisis.
The Democratic governor added chronic pain to the state's list of health conditions that qualify for medical marijuana treatment.
"At a time when opiate addiction is ravaging our state and drug companies continue to urge our doctors to pass out painkillers like candy, we need to find a more practical solution to pain management," Gov. Shumlin said in a statement. "This bill ensures that Vermonters who are suffering will have access to medicine that is high quality, laboratory tested, and most importantly non-addictive."
Preliminary research and substantial anecdotal evidence show medical cannabis to be an effective, safe pain reliever. States that have legalized medical marijuana have seen notable reductions in opioid-related overdose rates.
Physician Jonathan Spero works with medical cannabis patients at The Healing Clinic in Illinois and says many patients he sees are seeking to trade their opiate painkillers for medical cannabis.
"Most of the patients want to get off of their narcotics, which is refreshing for me, because I was an emergency room physician for 15 years," Spero told Extract. "They want to use cannabis instead of narcotics, which is very unusual to hear."
Marijuana has a much higher safety profile than the majority of pain management medications on the market today, and side effects associated with cannabis are typically mild. These side effects include symptoms such as headache, sleepiness and dry mouth.
Alternately, non-opioid and opioid analgesics are associated with far more health risks and unpleasant side effects.
As opioid-related overdose rates surge in communities all across the country, it might behoove lawmakers to look to states like Vermont, where medical cannabis is now being used as a tool in the fight against opiate addiction.
Currently 25 states and Washington DC have legalized comprehensive medical marijuana programs, although some states do not include chronic pain among their medical marijuana qualifiers.
News Moderator: Katelyn Baker 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Medical Marijuana As A Tool To Reduce Opiate Addiction
Author: Emily Gray
Contact: 312-321-3000
Photo Credit: David McNew
Website: Sun Times Network
The country is currently mired in what some are calling an "opioid painkiller crisis," and Vermont Gov. Peter Shumlin took concrete action earlier this month to address the crisis.
The Democratic governor added chronic pain to the state's list of health conditions that qualify for medical marijuana treatment.
"At a time when opiate addiction is ravaging our state and drug companies continue to urge our doctors to pass out painkillers like candy, we need to find a more practical solution to pain management," Gov. Shumlin said in a statement. "This bill ensures that Vermonters who are suffering will have access to medicine that is high quality, laboratory tested, and most importantly non-addictive."
Preliminary research and substantial anecdotal evidence show medical cannabis to be an effective, safe pain reliever. States that have legalized medical marijuana have seen notable reductions in opioid-related overdose rates.
Physician Jonathan Spero works with medical cannabis patients at The Healing Clinic in Illinois and says many patients he sees are seeking to trade their opiate painkillers for medical cannabis.
"Most of the patients want to get off of their narcotics, which is refreshing for me, because I was an emergency room physician for 15 years," Spero told Extract. "They want to use cannabis instead of narcotics, which is very unusual to hear."
Marijuana has a much higher safety profile than the majority of pain management medications on the market today, and side effects associated with cannabis are typically mild. These side effects include symptoms such as headache, sleepiness and dry mouth.
Alternately, non-opioid and opioid analgesics are associated with far more health risks and unpleasant side effects.
As opioid-related overdose rates surge in communities all across the country, it might behoove lawmakers to look to states like Vermont, where medical cannabis is now being used as a tool in the fight against opiate addiction.
Currently 25 states and Washington DC have legalized comprehensive medical marijuana programs, although some states do not include chronic pain among their medical marijuana qualifiers.
News Moderator: Katelyn Baker 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Medical Marijuana As A Tool To Reduce Opiate Addiction
Author: Emily Gray
Contact: 312-321-3000
Photo Credit: David McNew
Website: Sun Times Network
