By Dr. James Taylor
The founder of Integrated Pain Solutions and Integrated Hemp Solutions, Dr. Jim Taylor believes CBD has its place in the opioid crisis because of its proven ability to decrease drug cravings, increase hope and reduce pain. Integrated Hemp Solutions is dedicated to patient wellness and addiction prevention through the appropriate use of CBD therapies, which are trusted by doctors, caregivers and patients.
Hemp CBD and the Opioid Crisis
I wondered if we could develop a medical-grade product that patients would want, and if an industry could be developed around this, could a medical hemp industry be sustainable and profitable for the state?
I did a lot of research and found a June 2016 study in the Journal of Pain that determined patients with chronic pain were able to reduce prescription opioid use by 64 percent after using medical marijuana (with Tetrahydrocannabinol or THC) for just over a year. A similar study in New Mexico found a 47 percent reduction in opioid use. Even more shocking, an October 2014 study in JAMA that found while the number of opioid overdose cases continues to grow, states with medical cannabis laws had a 25 percent lower opioid overdose mortality rate as compared to states without medical cannabis laws.
These statistics were really eye opening. I thought that if industrial hemp with no THC could result in even half the benefit of the THC product, it would be worth exploring. After all, cannabis has no lethal dose. Every other medicine available for pain management has a lethal dose, and as a physician that is worrisome. Understanding that a patient cannot overdose on cannabis - and it protects and saves lives - immediately lifted the pressure I felt as a physician. I knew we had to look into hemp and cannabis more and get involved.
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