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Is Cannabis The Solution To Opiate Addiction?


Heroin and prescription opioid addiction to drugs like Oxycontin and Vicodin is hitting record numbers in the United States. The medical community has largely attempted to treat these addictions with more opiates such as Methadone and Suboxone. Can medical marijuana achieve the recovery results so many people need? Learn how cannabis can reduce opiate withdrawal symptoms and have a positive effect on people trying to recover from addiction.

Dangerous Statistics

The Center for Disease Control recently released a new study of the epidemic of drug overdose deaths in America. Every state has been affected and almost every county in the country has seen an increase in drug overdose deaths. Between 2012 and 2014, the number of heroin overdoses doubled in the U.S. The increase is attributed to addiction to narcotic painkillers.

These numbers aren't just affecting urban areas or known drug areas. New Hampshire, West Virginia and other states with large blue-collar worker populations have also experienced record numbers of rising opiate addiction. Workplace injuries have also been contributing to increasing opioid addiction in the working class.

The trending rise in deaths mirrors levels of the HIV epidemic at its height in the 1980s and 1990s. In 2014, opioid involvement accounted for 61 percent of deaths in the U.S. In order to stem the tide of prescription drug abuse, new legislation has been introduced that attempts to control prescribing practices. However, as prescription painkillers became less available due to changes in legislation reducing prescription rates, addicts turned to heroin.

How Narcotic Addiction Affects the Brain and Body

Drug addiction alters the physical composition of the brain. Narcotic addiction, in particular, rewires the circuits in the brain responsible for reward, consequence determination and mood. With this change in "wiring," the brain is no longer capable of functioning without the help of the opioid drug. If the addicted person tries to abstain from heroin or other prescription opiates, he experiences symptoms of withdrawal. These can include:

  • Abdominal pain

  • Agitation

  • Body aches

  • Chills

  • Craving the drug

  • Diarrhea

  • Nausea and vomiting

These symptoms can become quite severe and, if the addiction began as a result of using drugs for chronic pain, the resulting withdrawal can be even worse, due to the pain associated with withdrawal. Withdrawal can last anywhere from a few hours to several days.

Prescription Attempts at Recovery

The common medical practice for treating opioid addiction is to prescribe more drugs to mask the withdrawal symptoms. Medications usually prescribed include:

  • Methadone: an opioid without the euphoric effects of other opiates.

  • Buprenorphine and Naloxone: a combination drug to reduce drug cravings.

  • Clonidine: a blood pressure medicine that reduces the "fight or flight" response.

After the initial withdrawal period ends, maintenance drugs are prescribed. Methadone, Naltrexone, Suboxone and other medications are used to deter abuse, but none of them completely end the addiction process or heal the connections in the brain.

How Medical Marijuana Can Help End the Cycle

In one study conducted by Thomas Jefferson University, patients seeking treatment in fighting opiate addition were given a variety of drugs. In the 91 patients studied, those who were given cannabis as a treatment rather than an opiate medication had the least amount of withdrawal symptoms. In their conclusion, the researchers state that "evidence is accumulating that cannabinoids may be useful medicine."

In an article published in The Open Neurology Journal, the authors make mention of numerous studies that have found positive effects of the use of medical marijuana. Control of nausea and vomiting, as well as chronic pain management are the most extensively researched uses. Because these are dominate withdrawal symptoms when stopping the use of heroin and opiates, the current research supports the use of medical marijuana in addiction therapy.

Other Medical Support for Solving Heroin Addiction

While most of the methadone-based treatments prescribed in the treatment of heroin and opiate addiction can produce the same kinds of "highs" created by the drugs themselves, cannabis can treat addiction without the resulting euphoric feelings. Of the 400 or more chemical compounds in cannabis, only one, tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), produces a high. Many forms of cannabis can be grown and processed without this factor, which makes it even safer to treat addiction than other drugs.

In addition, the body contains a natural system for healing itself through decreasing inflammation and pain and increasing immunity. This system is the endocannabinoid system and works in a very similar way to the cannabinoids in medical marijuana. Through proper use, cannabis supports this system and can actually "rewire" the brain, unlike methadone treatments which merely block chemical transmission while it's in use. This means that once the person stops taking the methadone, the brain hasn't healed and will still seek satisfaction through cravings for heroin or other opiates. Cannabis, on the other hand, changes the composition of the brain so the cravings are no longer present.

Not only does the use of medical marijuana promote the body's natural healing systems, it helps correct the underlying disease. Instead of masking or creating side effects, medical marijuana can be a real solution in the problem of heroin and opiate addiction.

SOURCE: https://www.hellomd.com/health-wellness/is-marijuana-part-solution-to-heroin-and-opiate-addiction

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