By Michelle Janikian
NEW YORK — The United States is in the grip of a devastating opioid epidemic. Nationwide, opioid overdoses caused 33,091 deaths in 2015, which increased to over 50,000 deaths in 2016. Opioids include prescription painkillers, like OxyContin and Fentanyl, and illicit substances, like heroin.
A recent study found that 44% of Americans know someone who has been addicted to prescription pain medication, and a different study found that 3 out of 5 opioid overdoses were from legitimate prescriptions. Not to mention, a recent CDC study found that 3 out of 4 new heroin users admit to starting on prescription opiates before making the transition to the cheaper, illicit substance.
With heroin use on the rise, HIV/AIDS and Hepatitis B and C infections are also increasing. A CDC study found that only 1 in 4 IDUs (Injection Drug Users) got their needles from a sterile source in 2015. This has prompted community involvement, like allocating funds for clean needle exchanges.
Although clean needle exchange programs help curb the spread of infection and disease, what can be done to help curb opioid abuse overall? A few recent studies have shown that states with medical marijuana access have a 23-25% decrease in opioid abuse and overdose deaths. Similar studies also found legal cannabis had no impact on the number of marijuana-related hospitalizations, a number that was expected to increase.
What is causing this decrease? Many doctors and researchers are pointing to the fact that medical marijuana can be used to treat the same ailments as opioid painkillers, like chronic pain. In fact, a Health Affairs study found doctors in states with medical marijuana write an average of 1,826 fewer doses of opioids per year, plus there was a drop in prescriptions for antidepressants, seizure medication, sleeping pills, anxiety medication, and anti-nausea drugs.
Cannabis, especially strains with a high ratio of CBD to THC, and high levels of specific terpenes such as myrcene, pinene, and caryophyllene, are great for pain management and have never killed anyone. Opioid painkillers, although clearly effective for pain, kill 91 Americans per day and are highly addictive.
One of the most dangerous aspects of opioid use, besides risk of overdose and death, is the physical addictive element. When regular opiate users stop “cold turkey” they become physically sick from withdrawal, with symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, insomnia, muscle cramping, fever, agitation, anxiety, and more, that can last over a week. Some of these withdrawal symptoms can be eased with medical cannabis, which prompted a few states to try to add opioid addiction to their list of conditions that qualify for medical marijuana. However, there were two main roadblocks to these attempts in Nevada, Maine, and New Mexico.
The first problem with letting opioid addicts wean off painkillers or heroin with cannabis is that most recovery programs, like Narcotics Anonymous, do not allow recovering addicts to use any mind-altering substances, cannabis included.
However, the main hurdle for states has been the lack of research. In Nevada and Maine, lack of FDA-approved research on the effects of cannabis was the chief reason for the disapproval of these bills. Yet, it is next to impossible to study the health benefits in the U.S. because of cannabis’ classification as a “Schedule I” substance.
Some cannabis companies are researching the health benefits of cannabis outside of the U.S., like Israel-based Tikun Olam. Israel has a different approach to cannabis than America, with full decriminalization of the plant and support of their Ministry of Health. Tikun Olam is Israel’s leading medical cannabis company and has been studying the plant and developing strains based on patient feedback for specific ailments for over a decade. They recently launched 6 of these research-based strains in Nevada, branded simply as Tikun.
Tikun wants to bring a natural wellness revolution to the U.S. by changing attitudes toward cannabis and replacing many drugs, both prescription and over-the-counter, with cannabis. Tikun’s “purpose-bred” high-THC indicas, like Eran Almog, Erez, or Eran, are strong muscle relaxants and sleep-inducing strains that could bring the same level of relief an opiate would to a patient in pain.
Not only can cannabis save lives, studies show it can save money as well. Health Affairs found medical marijuana could save Medicaid $1 billion in prescription drug costs. That number is based on the fact that states with medical marijuana access saved $475.8 million in 2014 alone by patients replacing prescription drugs with legal, medical cannabis.
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Michelle Janikian is a freelance writer focused on drug policy and trends.