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The beginning of 2010 marked a time of significant increase in the availability, usage, and abuse of prescribed opioid medications, sparking an unprecedented drug overdose epidemic in America. With over ninety Americans dying each day, it is time to generate viable solutions to curtail the destruction.
The descent into opioid addiction and overdose typically begins with the use of prescribed pharmaceutical opioids for the treatment of chronic pain. Despite being a mainstay approach for pain management, opioid therapy remains controversial due to side effects, efficacy, outcomes, and a high potential for abuse and addiction. One important element in curtailing the opioid crisis is finding an alternative first line treatment option for chronic pain; one that does not progress to dependence or overdose. Medical cannabis needs to be acknowledged as such an alternative. Current research suggests that cannabis, when used as adjunct therapy or as a substitute, may result in a greater cumulative relief of pain, better quality of life, and a reduction in the morbidity and mortality associated with pharmaceutical opiates.
There are documented uses of cannabis as a medicine as far back as 5,000 years ago, with its earliest usage in China and Egypt. It was listed in the U.S. Pharmacopoeia until 1941, where it was recommended to treat various ailments, including fatigue, rheumatism, asthma, delirium tremens, migraine headaches, cramp and depression associated with menstruation, and even coughing. Because of its influence on the endo-cannabinoid system (ECS), it has the potential to treat an array of symptoms and ailments.
Discovered by Israeli researcher Dr. Raphael Mechoulam, the endo-cannabinoid system is a complex biological system in all humans that regulates functions of brain, endocrine, and immune tissues. It is perhaps the most important physiological system, being a key component in homeostasis, the tendency of the body to seek and maintain internal balance, even in the presence of external stressors.