A newly announced NIH grant-funded five year study of medical cannabis’ ability to reduce opioid use is going to bypass using the usual NIDA low quality cannabis – in favor of (gasp!) actual modern, high-quality dispensary cannabis with actual patients in treatment.
This is news in itself and a small victory for federal policy reform. However, given the spotty, long-biased track record, we still look at federally sponsored research with a steely gaze.
At least five studies have found a correlation between the introduction of cannabis and overall reports of opioid use/overdose being reduced by 25-33%. This study, by contrast, will follow hundreds of individual patients.
Still, consider this quote:
“Researchers have never studied—in any population—if the use of medical marijuana over time reduces the use of opioids.
Additionally, there are no studies on how the specific chemical compounds of marijuana, tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD), affect health outcomes, like pain, function, and quality of life.”
We find both of these to be notable overstatements. Given the studies done – and all that IS known about how cannabis’ “specific chemical compounds” in cannabis do “affect health outcomes” (much more than implied here) – and finally granted cannabis’ non-existent mortality rates and opioids’ deadly and epidemic-level toxicity, there is NO reason for UT to hold back help most US residents are already able to receive.
Let alone for five more years. People are dying of opioid OD without access now. Almost daily.
More than enough is known to for chronic pain patients with dependence to try cannabis for lowering or replacing their opioid use. Yesterday if possible. As many researchers agree:
” ‘The striking implication is that medical laws, when implemented, may represent a promising approach for stemming runaway rates of non-intentional opioid-analgesic-related deaths,’ wrote opiate abuse researchers Dr. Mark S. Brown and Marie J. Hayes’.”
http://ift.tt/2lO2mmd And also see: e.g., http://ift.tt/2w3bGe0 for patient case studies.
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Related: Just how low quality IS the federal farm cannabis (used in nearly all fed approved studies)?
This low: http://ift.tt/2ml2AzM
And how much does that limit the conclusions reached? Something to ponder.
As is whether the design and 5 year length of this study is totally based on the next logical priority for research. That’s the problem with having been burned by federal agencies. You have to learn to look gift horses in the mouth….
#MMJ #Research #Opioids #NIH #USpol #UTpol #UtahNext #TRUCE
http://ift.tt/2wQ0ygz
See full article – Feds to Study Medical Marijuana’s Effect on Opioid Use | Leafly
