CBD MAY REDUCE THE USE OF OPIOID MEDICATION
Mainstream media and alternative media have agreed that there is a opioid epidemic in America. The presidential administration declared the U.S. opioid crisis a national public health emergency in October 2017. An article published in the Sept 2017 Annals of internal medicine described opioid use at 91.8 million (37.8%) of American adults used prescription opioids in 2015. Of those individuals, 11.5 million of them misused or abused their medications.
Many of these opiate users, and ultimately medication abusers, have desperately sought relief from acute and chronic pain. Statistics show that 80% of individuals are likely to experience back pain at some point in their lives. Also, many cancer patients are subject to opioid prescriptions as apart of their pain management protocols while on chemotherapy and recovering from surgery and radiation therapies. These patients that seek care from Medical doctors and other drug physicians may attain temporary relief of pain, but at the cost of severe side effects on the internal organs and high risk for addiction. In fact, a staggering 1.9 million american adults suffer from some form of opiate addiction. Additionally, statistics demonstrate that 80% or heroin users utilized prescription opioids before using heroin. Studies suggest that use of opioids DID NOT produce any long term effective results for the treatment of pain, and patients have increasingly sought out alternative, natural solutions to deal with their pain.
There is excellent evidence suggesting that CBD and other phytocannabinoids can serve a role in reducing the burden of the opioid epidemic. One study demonstrates that CBD interferes with the reward-based mechanisms in the brain responsible for the highly addictive properties of opioids. Other studies have demonstrated CBD acts as a direct agonist of the TRPV1 pain channels, modulates serotonin receptors, and acts as an allosteric regulator for mu and delta opioid receptors. Additionally in heroin addiction, a study suggests that the single administration of CBD even maintained a decrease of general craving for more than 24 hours. The pharmacological and clinical implications of CBD continues to grow and suggests the significant role of CBD in addiction disorders and in relieving its associates neurological, psychological, and physical symptomatology.
While there is excellent evidence for the beneficial effects of THC and other more psychoactive cannabinoids in alleviating chronic pain, the NON PSYCHOACTIVE realm of phytocannabinoids seem to be preferable in recovering addiction. It is important to educate individuals on the neurophysiological role of the human endocannabinoid systems, and the actions of CB1, CB2, TRPV1, GPR55, and PPARy receptors culminating effect as a homeostatic regulator of endogenous opioid and opioid receptors.