Medical Marijuana as Alternative to Opiates. Does it Reduce Pain and Improve the Quality of Living?

Academic Paper from the year 2018 in the subject Health - Nursing Science - Miscellaneous, grade: 100, University of Central Florida (School of Nursing), course: Evidence Based Practice, language: English, abstract: Deaths due to opioid overdose continues to rise to the point that opioid use is now considered an epidemic. Since opioids are the common prescribed drug to treat chronic pain, there is a need to consider safer alternate treatments. This integrated literature review was conducted to examine if cannabis can effectively treat pain, improve quality of life, and reduce the need for opioids to manage chronic pain. Nine studies were included in this review. All nine studies reported the effectiveness of cannabis in either pain management, decreased opioid use and/or improved quality of life. Because consideration of the medicinal uses of cannabis is new, eight of the nine studies included less than a one-year follow up. However, the results of the studies reveal that cannabis should be considered for more than recreational uses and that its medicinal uses date back for thousands of years. To fully understand all the benefits and potential side effects surrounding cannabis, further research is needed. For further research to be conclusive, it is necessary for regulatory barriers and campaigns to reduce stigmas surrounding cannabis to be at the forefront. Deaths related to opioid overdose is in upward of 4 million people worldwide, including prescribed and illegal use compared to the absence of deaths related to cannabis overdose, a powerful indicator that cannabis may be the solution to help the millions of persons who suffer from chronic pain.