Does cannabis hold the key to solving the worst opioid crisis in US history? According to an Illinois report, cannabis' remarkable ability to ease chronic pain makes it a better alternative to painkillers.
The study also suggests that the pain-killing abilities of cannabis may end the opioid crisis, which is ironic considering how anti-legalization lobbyists blamed cannabis for the same crisis. The table has been turned and science is now on the side of legalizing marijuana.
Medical marijuana users in Illinois report that their use of the substance to relieve pain has lessened or stopped their use of other prescription medications such as opioids, as reported by The Daily Mail. The small-scale study from DePaul University and Rush University suggests it could be a solution to the opioid crisis.
The researchers studied 30 participants, all of whom had experienced pain, seizures, or inflammation. All of the participants, with an average age of 45, had used medical marijuana, instead of the painkillers prescribed by their doctors. The participants were convinced that medical cannabis was more effective, as its effects acted faster and lasted longer than the pharmaceutical drugs they were taking previously. Medical marijuana is currently illegal in the state.
Image courtesy of: Casino Connection International
