Marijuana used to have nicknames such as “The Devil’s Weed” or “Satan’s Salad.” Nowadays, such characterizations are laughably archaic.

Not only is pot increasingly legal, but it’s also gaining recognition by the medical establishment as a means for curing deadly drug addiction.

Consider opioid addiction. It’s still a scourge that kills about 80,000 Americans every year, but once-demonized marijuana is now playing the role of rehab hero.

A new federally funded study reveals that marijuana substantially assists individuals with substance misuse disorders in staying off opioids or reducing their usage, maintaining treatment, and managing withdrawal symptoms. More about the study, below.

Opiates vs. opioids…

A quick lesson in terms:

Opiates are chemical compounds that are extracted or refined from natural plant matter (poppy sap and fibers). Examples: opium, morphine, codeine, heroin.

Opioids are chemical compounds that generally are not derived from natural plant matter. Most opioids are made in the lab. Brand name examples: Vicodin, Oxycontin, and Percocet.

In recent years, reams of research related to marijuana and opioids have shown that marijuana can alleviate opiate addiction, as well as alcohol or nicotine addiction.

Fentanyl is an instructive example. Fentanyl is a potent synthetic opioid drug approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for use as an analgesic. Fentanyl addiction and overdose deaths remain a national crisis (see chart released April 2024, which depicts the latest available data):

With the epidemic of deadly opioid addiction over the past two decades, medical cannabis has shown promise as an alternative, non-addictive (and non-deadly) technique for pain management.

Details of the latest study…

Conducted by researchers at the University of Southern California (USC), the study focused on the relationship between cannabis use and opioid injection. Thirty participants from a community site in Los Angeles, near a syringe exchange service and methadone clinic, were recruited for this analysis.

Published this month in the journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence Reports and partly funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), the study adds to the growing body of evidence that marijuana access can mitigate the impacts of the opioid crisis. This mitigation is achieved either by helping individuals limit their opioid use or providing an alternative to opioids altogether.

Between July 2021 and April 2022, researchers conducted interviews with the participants to understand how cannabis influenced their opioid use. They found that marijuana use helped in several ways: maintaining opioid cessation or adhering to opioid use disorder treatment, managing opioid withdrawal symptoms episodically, and reducing opioid use due to the easy accessibility of cannabis.

Participants reported that using marijuana helped manage withdrawal symptoms such as body aches and general discomfort, which in turn led to a decrease in the frequency of opioid injections. They highlighted the benefits of using cannabis alongside opioids to reduce their overall opioid use, pointing out two significant implications for harm reduction.

First, distributing marijuana through peer programs can significantly alter opioid use patterns. Second, incorporating cannabis as an option in opioid treatment plans alongside existing medications could improve treatment uptake and outcomes.

The report includes direct quotes from interview transcripts, emphasizing the positive impact of cannabis on opioid use reduction:

• A 26-year-old male noted that using marijuana helped curb the initial urge to use opiates, aiding in breaking the habit.
• A 32-year-old male shared that combining methadone with marijuana helped him stay clean and that marijuana continued to be beneficial after ceasing all opiates.
• Another 26-year-old male argued that marijuana serves as a maintenance tool to stay off opiates, advocating for greater acceptance and research into its benefits.

The study also highlighted the importance of easy access to cannabis. Participants preferred obtaining marijuana from licensed dispensaries and appreciated the increased availability of these retail locations, linking this accessibility to their positive changes in opioid use.

Consistent with existing literature, the study supports using cannabis in conjunction with medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD). Participants described using cannabis to manage symptoms such as anxiety and cravings post-opioid cessation, often alongside MOUD for self-initiated cessation.

The findings underscore the role of legalized, easily accessible cannabis in facilitating its use for reducing opioid consumption. These results align with the broader scientific literature on the benefits of cannabis for individuals with substance misuse disorders. The Devil’s Weed, no more.

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