Researchers concluded, “Cannabis co-use assisted in developing patterns of reduced opioid use in a number of ways.”
Topic: Opioids/Drugs
Eighty-four percent of healthcare providers surveyed said, “Medical cannabis should be used to reduce the use of opioids for pain management.”
Investigators concluded, “Our results suggest that cannabis should be considered as a strategy for harm reduction in opioid maintenance treatment.”
Previous studies have demonstrated that the co-administration of cannabinoids augments the pain-relieving effects of opioids, even when administered at subtherapeutic doses.
Eighty-eight percent of those surveyed reported that cannabis “reduced their neuropathic pain intensity by more than 30 percent.”
Patients who used cannabis flower were most likely to show clinical improvements.
Reductions in patients’ prescription drug use was most frequently reported among those prescribed benzodiazepines.
“Further investigation of the harm reduction and therapeutic applications of cannabis use is warranted,” researchers determined.