Evidence has been released supporting the theory that medical cannabis can replace or reduce opioids. Most patients in a study—79% or nearly four out of five—reported “cessation or reduction in pain medication use” after beginning a regimen of medical cannabis.
The large sample size study was published online September 27 in Substance Use & Misuse.
Led by Carolyn E. Pritchett, Ph.D., of Emerald Coast Research in Tallahassee, Florida, and a team of researchers set out to record perceptions of health functioning and changes in opioid pain medication use.
They conducted a survey of 2,183 Florida medical cannabis patients who self-reported medical cannabis use and opioid use. The most reported conditions were pain and mental health combined at 47.9%, mental health at 28.9%, or pain at 9.1%.
Patients reported improvements in terms of bodily pain, physical functioning, and social functioning. However, researchers noted that limitations because of physical and emotional problems remained unchanged.
Most patients said medical cannabis was important to their quality of life. About six in 10 respondents reported using opioids before taking medical cannabis, and the majority (79%) reported either cessation or reduction in pain medication use following initiation of medical cannabis. Too add, 11.5% of respondents involved in the study reported improved functioning.
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