Although cannabis has been around for a very long time it remains surrounded by a great deal of misinformation. One such issue is whether it is addictive and/or a gateway drug despite substantial evidence to the contrary. Those who hold this belief say that marijuana users are more likely to abuse harder narcotics such as cocaine, heroin and others.
It should come as no surprise that North America is struggling with a growing opioid epidemic resulting a a new perspective. There is now growing support from frontline healthcare practitioners along with recovering patients that say medical marijuana may be a useful weapon in opioid addiction treatment. The conclusion they share is that marijuana offers a better alternative to reduce severe and chronic pain.
With few medical studies to support the drug’s use in substance abuse therapies it’s no wonder medical experts remain unconvinced of its usefulness. The question remains whether mail order medical marijuana in Canada influences addiction and will be the focus of this article.
The Problem With Opioids
Canada is experiencing a big opioid problem in fact Canadians consume the substance more often than the citizens of any other country worldwide. Alarming as that fact is the addition of fentanyl with it’s highly addictive qualities and high potential for overdoses has only increased the statistics. Fentanyl is a concentrated opioid that can lead to overdoses if more than a few hundred micrograms are consumed. Although it has medical applications it’s toxicity may be 100 times higher than that of morphine.
Opioid addiction often results after a doctor has prescribed them to treat a patient’s severe or chronic pain. Marijuana has the properties to alleviate these conditions without the potential for addiction, although it doesn’t treat the cause of the pain it can provide relief which is why advocates endorse it as an option to opioids. Medical evidence suggests that the THC or tetrahydrocannabinol contains pain relieving properties and in conjunction with CBD or cannabidiol component of marijuana have the potential to relieve pain.
Claims about the effectiveness of marijuana to treat addictions need further study, however it’s pain relieving properties suggest that further research may support its use in addiction treatment.
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