drugs such as cocaine and heroin , prescription drugs such as opioids and benzodiazepines , and stimulants such as caffeine . Cannabis stimulates neuroplasticity and neurogenesis , enabling the brain to “ rewire ” and recover from compulsive and self-destructive behaviors .
Drug Abuse and Self-Medication
It ’ s quite common for drug abusers to engage in drug-seeking to self-medicate for emotional and psychological support purposes , including depression , anxiety , trauma , etc . It ’ s all about “ numbing the pain .” Any drugs turned to ( alcohol being number one ) may provide some temporary relief but have diminishing returns . Any perceived relief diminishes over time , requiring higher and higher doses . The person becomes a drug abuser , if not an addict . Cannabis has proven far more effective at treating these and many other emotional / psychological disorders , even at relatively small to moderate dosing and at far less risk .
Cannabis As a Treatment For Opioid Addiction
Cannabis is proving to be remarkably effective in addiction treatment programs ( albeit much of that is currently outside the U . S .) with all the most commonly abused substances . But perhaps the most promising of all areas of harm reduction is opioid addiction , which includes both prescription and illicit opioids . The prescription “ opioid crisis ” came about largely from doctors being misled by Big Pharma to believe that “ prolonged-release ” opioids ( e . g ., oxycontin , oxycodone ) were non-addictive and effective for chronic pain management . Ultimately , that was all proven to be junk science . Cannabis , however , even at relatively low doses , can be remarkably effective for chronic pain management . 2 Cannabis has also been proven effective to gateway patients off addictive opioids safely and often without the unpleasant symptoms associated with opioid withdrawal . The same is true with cannabis harm reduction for other highly addictive drugs such as cocaine , etc .
Application
Both THC and CBD play significant roles in addiction treatment . Those in recovery should avoid high THC strains because they tend to be lacking CBD . THC can , especially for heavy users , become addictive and therefore lead to abuse . CBD tamps down THC ’ s psychoactive effects and interferes with the brain ’ s addictive mechanisms . Stick with strains that have a good balance between THC to CBD .
Sources : 1 . https :// recoverycentersofamerica . com / resource / economic-cost-ofsubstance-abuse-disorder-in-united-states-2019 / 2 . https :// joom . ag / E9zI / p46
Peter Kershaw is a Patient Caregiver , an organic cannabis cultivation consultant , and extraction consultant . Contact him at pkershaw . email @ gmail . com or text to 417-230-4445 . As with all writers within these pages , if you ’ ve benefited from Peter ’ s articles , please let him and all writers know . They appreciate your thoughts .
Notice : The information contained herein is not intended as medical advice , diagnosis or treatment advice , but rather a sharing of knowledge and information based on research and experience . The content is for general informational purposes only . As always , check with your doctor first .
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