It’s hard to overstate the magnitude of the problem, but here are a few figures for perspective: Overdose fatalities are now annually claiming far more lives – tens of thousands more – than either traffic accidents or gun violence.
The CDC noted over 50,000 opioid-caused deaths in 2015, and estimates for the final 2016 figure are expected to top 60,000. As we noted in a post several days ago, this ANNUAL death now is now exceeding ALL of the US deaths in the more than decade long Vietnam War.
Not to mention all the lives effected by those deaths and the dependency leading up to them – and all of those dependent today. Studies show that many patients given the option gravitate strongly to non-toxic, non-addicting cannabis over opioids, or are able to at least lower their doses with the help of cannabis.
ASA has prepared various materials for this campaign. Here’s an excellent downloadable/printable comprehensive 14 page summary, “Medical Cannabis Access for Pain Treatment: A Viable Strategy to Address the Opioid Crisis”: http://bit.ly/2A6vVWH
For still more information, our recently completed “maxi-series” on the epidemic in this space was in local support of the campaign. (You can scroll back to October 26th to see all eleven posts.)
TRUCE’s appearance tonight on Park City TV (see our earlier post today) is also in support of the campaign.
For ways to participate in ASA’s campaign see: http://ift.tt/2huN18Y
ASA has other downloadable/purchaseable materials here: http://ift.tt/2zZmtn8 And there are other actionable links in the article below.
The campaign aims to influence federal legislation, despite centers of opposition to MC in the current administration and elsewhere, e.g., the retrograde view that “cannabis is nearly as bad as heroin” emanating from the Attorney General’s office.
Not enough yet, but more and more Senators and Representatives are open to change, and the American public’s awareness of the value of medicinal cannabis is now well ahead of that in either Congress and the White House, so public opinion as well as research is now starting to put real pressure on reluctant institutions only starting to emerge from their Drug Wars bunkers and 1930s misconceptions and myths…
Note: TRUCE is a proud affiliate of ASA.
#MMJ #ASA #Opioids #EndPainNotLives #UtahNext #TRUCE
http://ift.tt/2hu3JWb
See full article – End Pain, Not Lives
