Jerome Adams, the current surgeon general, recently declared the opioid crisis as a public health emergency. In 2017, the NIH (National Institutes of Health) reported that opioids were responsible for 49,068 deaths—an alarming statistic.
In a search of alternative medications to treat pain, medical cannabis has been gaining notoriety on the national stage. Several states, almost 30 in total, including New York and New Jersey, have approved medical cannabis, and the list continues to grow.
With the opioid crisis looming, several questions regarding the new interest in cannabis need to be addressed. Does cannabis work to treat pain? Is it safe? Will it help prevent overdose deaths from opioid use?
At the Center for Musculoskeletal Disorders, we apply an individualized approach to pain therapy. Our feeling is that in view of the current opioid crisis, cannabis can be a useful alternative to opioids if given to the right patient. It’s the responsibility of the provider to make sure he or she is selecting his patients appropriately and prescribing it for the right reasons. If we want to take a step back and look at this purely from a medically objective point of view, cannabis is a drug with side effects and risks like most medical treatments, and the data for its use comes from small studies and case reports. I recommend that patient’s take oral formulations as smoking or vaping cannabis is harmful. A lot of research still needs to be completed; however, for patients who are out of options to treat their pain, cannabis is another option that may provide relief.
In fact, among the most compelling studies for the use of cannabis, published in a 2014 JAMA (The Journal of the American Medical Association) article, stated that 17 states with a medical marijuana program noted a 24.8% reduction in opioid-related deaths, which translated to thousands of lives saved.
Dr. Marc S. Cohen is a specialist in interventional pain management and anesthesiology. Dr. Cohen uses a multimodal approach to treat pain, using many different techniques to ensure his patient’s can return to their normal daily lives.
