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Over half of patients ‘replace’ opioids with cannabis

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61 percent of patients said they had 'replaced' opioids and/or benzodiazepines with medical cannabis.

Over 60 percent of medical cannabis patients in a statewide US report say they have used it to replace prescription medications.

The analysis conducted in Texas by Rice University’s Bake Institute for Public Policy found a clear majority of users had substituted conventional medicines for cannabis-based products.
Of 2,900 people in the survey, 61 percent said they had ‘replaced’ opioids and/or benzodiazepines with medical cannabis.
The majority of respondents reported using cannabis primarily to mitigate pain.
Among those respondents who were veterans, just over half reported using cannabis to address symptoms of post-traumatic stress.
Overall, four-in-ten respondents said that the use of cannabis ‘has improved their quality of life’.
The report will boost calls for medicinal cannabis to be used in order to reduce the prescription of opioids in the US, which is fuelling an addiction crisis.
Texas lawmakers passed the Compassionate Use Act in 2015, which saw the state officially recognised cannabis as medicine, but access is still tightly restricted.
The report makes a series of policy recommendations, including raising the cap on THC content, expanding access and decriminalising possession for small amounts of cannabis.
The survey was conducted online between August 11, 2020, and October 6, 2020. Twenty-two percent of respondents were military veterans.

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Sarah Sinclair is a respected cannabis journalist writing on subjects related to science, medicine, research, health and wellness. She is managing editor of Cannabis Health, the UK’s leading title covering medical cannabis and CBD, and sister titles, Cannabis Wealth and Psychedelic Health. Sarah has an NCTJ journalism qualification and an MA in Journalism from the University of Sunderland. Sarah has over six years experience working on newspapers, magazines and digital-first titles, the last two of which have been in the cannabis sector. She has also completed training through the Medical Cannabis Clinicians Society securing a certificate in Medical Cannabis Explained. She is a member of PLEA’s (Patient-Led Engagement for Access) advisory board, has hosted several webinars on cannabis and women's health and has moderated at industry events such as Cannabis Europa. Sarah Sinclair is the editor of Cannabis Health. Got a story? Email sarah@handwmedia.co.uk / Follow us on Twitter: @CannabisHNews / Instagram: @cannabishealthmag

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