The opioid epidemic in the United States is taxing the clinicians across the country. In an effort to reduce the 650,000 opioid prescriptions filled on a daily basis, phsycians need an alternative for pain relief. Esther K. Choo, MD, MPH, with the Oregon Health & Science University in Portland and two colleagues have written a letter in JAMA urging for a universal standing on cannabis as one solution to the opioid epidemic.

While the federal agencies of America call for a weening off of opioids, they fail to fill the gap of pain relievers it will leave behind. Opioid are effecting millions across the nation, and with so many prescriptions being filled, a real need exists to provide responsible pain relief. With 25 states and the District of Columbia legalizing cannabis for medical use, the solution could be medical marijuana, according to the authors.

“The mandated transition to limit use of opioids, paired with the current climate around liberalizing cannabis, may lead to patients’ formal and informal substitution of cannabis for opioids,” write Choo et al. “Observational studies have found that state legalization of cannabis is associated with a decrease in opioid addiction and opioid-related overdose deaths.”

Read the full article on JAMA by clicking the link below: