Commentary: Is Cannabis the Answer to the Opioid Crisis?
By Adrianne Wilson-Poe
Compared to opioids, marijuana is a less-addictive, equally effective pain reliever with fewer negative side effects – but it's illegal.
OPIOID ADDICTION IS ONE of the leading health care crises of our time. It costs the U.S. economy more than $500 billion a year. It kills 115 people a day, more than gun violence or traffic accidents. It is at the center of almost every public policy and public health debate in thousands of cities across the country. The president and policymakers on both sides of the aisle have elevated it as a national priority.
A recent report from the Centers for Disease Control found that emergency room visits due to opioid overdoses have climbed by about 30 percent in less than a year. As startling as the statistics are, it is just as heartbreaking to know that a safe and effective alternative is plentiful, yet inaccessible, because it is illegal at the federal level.
To read more: https://www.usnews.com/news/healthiest-communities/articles/2018-03-23/commentary-is-cannabis-the-answer-to-the-opioid-crisis
