Worldwide, opioids are causing problems. Doctors everywhere prescribe these drugs for every pain, every ache, every throb. They are, in fact, well over prescribed. Billions use opioids daily. Some medicate themselves with heroin, alcohol, and other drugs, but opioids are easily the worst. Most widely used. Addiction to these drugs is a crisis. A plague. An epidemic of devastating proportions.
Opioids killed nearly 110 000 people in 2021. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, this is a 15 percent increase from 2020, just the year before. These drugs account for over 70 percent of all overdose fatalities. Side effects are addictive and clearly fatal. What is more, they quickly lose effectiveness. One needs more and more of them to find relief, since they only hide pain, not treat it. This increases dependency on more, and even on other drugs.
These are numbers that affect society. Families are breaking, lives lost to these and other crippling addictions. Effects of this are devastating social structures. Now, scientists are discovering new, more effective, and safer ways of managing pain. Treating it. These therapies, like cannabis, are reducing dependency and making withdrawal from opioids and other drugs easier to bear. As such, weed is now the most promising pathway for treatment of these and other addictions.
Perhaps most importantly, studies are finding cannabis well capable of treating the underlying cause of pain. It helps at pain’s source. Cannabidiol, for example, or CBD, is one cannabinoid able to treat both pain and its cause much safer than opioids ever could. More effectively too. According to the Journal of the American Medical Association, cannabinoids will likely replace existing painkillers altogether. Further, in states where weed is legal, opioid use and deaths are noticeably declining.
How Cannabis Works
Since cannabis is now widely accepted, many are asking for healthier ways to treat pain. Fewer and fewer are renewing their prescriptions, preferring to use cannabis instead. Now, CBD is highly effective at treating pain, but it is only one of many. It is not alone. CBD is but one cannabinoid of hundreds. According to the National Academies of Health and Medicine, THC, or tetrahydrocannabinol, is another analgesic cannabinoid. Others are too. Using them together is best.
Cannabinoids, including THC and CBD, interact specifically with compatible endocannabinoid receptors. They work much the same way as our own endocannabinoids do. By interacting with CB1 and CB2 receptors directly, they effectively treat inflammation, relieve pain, boost appetite, better mood, reduce severity of withdrawal symptoms, and treat addiction itself. In so doing, addicts are better able to complete treatment. Already, doctors advise weed. People now choose it too.
While study is still in its early phase, results are showing cannabis superior to other forms of treatment for pain. Evidence shows the effects of weed helpful in treating addiction itself. The U.S. National Library of Medicine published a study showing CBD reducing craving for heroin in rats. In people too. Its biggest advantage is that cannabis has no worrisome side effects. None are long-lasting anyway. Even better for those fighting addiction.
Much evidence already exists supporting these claims. Doctors are substituting opioids with CBD when trying to wean patients off them. Almost all cases are successful. Experts advise swapping pills for weed at a pace comfortable for you. Gradually lengthen dose times and use CBD in its stead. From a mental point of view, just having something else as a substitute makes it easier to overcome withdrawals. It makes it easier to return to normal life afterward too.
Cannabis affects endocannabinoid receptors in different ways. This creates some controversy about how exactly CBD and other cannabinoids work in cases of severe addiction. Its exact pathway, its mechanism of action, remains unknown, even if we know that it works well, better than anything else. One theory is that weed reverses brain damage caused by opioids. That it reopens communication across the body. Since it lowers anxiety and cravings, both common, stress is less.
Remember: Quality is Everything
Since the media labels cannabis the latest medical miracle, the unscrupulous abound. Consumer Reports warn of this. Despite regulations to force compliance with safety laws, most off-label cannabis products do not pass independent tests. They fail miserably, with some not even subject to laws at all. For cannabis to work, it must be of quality. It must contain enough cannabinoids. Not negotiable. This is necessary to treat pain and opioid reliance, or any dependence on substances.
The truth is that you will not know what you get unless you are proactive about knowing. Labels are often wrong. Inaccurate. What is more, cannabis does have some side effects, albeit much safer than painkillers and other drugs. THC is psychoactive. It makes you stoned. This can cause anxiety in some. CBD affects efficacy of some medications, either increasing or decreasing it.
Talk to Your People
If cannabis is under consideration for you as a treatment for addiction, then it is important that you tell those around you. Let your family know your intentions. Discuss it first with your doctor. If CBD should affect medication efficacy, then he or she can adjust accordingly, mitigate dosages and interactions with the medications you are taking. To find quality, you should avoid street dealers and unlicensed resellers. Only a recreational dispensary in Needles California complies with quality laws.
If you decide to use cannabis, then use it wisely. Start slowly and gradually increase your dose accordingly. Do not suddenly stop opioids. Wean yourself properly, under guidance and supervision of loved ones. Maintain good relationships with doctors and practitioners. They can prevent interactions, address symptoms, and boost your chance of completing treatment successfully.
Recreational Dispensary in Needles CA
What you want is the best pot. This is the way to get off opioids and other drugs. If using extracts instead of whole plant medicine, then you want them clean of solvents, pesticides, and other toxins. You want them formulated responsibly. You want labels clearly stating ingredients. You want products tested, independently at laboratories. You want the best quality at best prices, even delivered to your door. Just find a reputable and licensed dispensary in Needles California.
