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Replacing opioids with cannabinoids.

A recent market research report indicates that more than 1.5 billion people worldwide suffer from chronic pain and that approximately 3- 4.5% of the global population suffers from neuropathic pain, with incidence rate increasing in complementary to age. (1)

Associated facts and figures are daunting: In Europe, chronic musculoskeletal pain of a disabling nature affects over one in four elderly people (Frondini et al 2007), while figures from Australia note that older half of older people suffer persistent pain, and up to 80% in nursing home populations (Gibson 2007).

A Killer Problem

It is estimated that between 26.4 million and 36 million people abuse opioids worldwide,^[1] with an estimated 2.1 million people in the United States suffering from substance use disorders related to prescription opioid pain relievers in 2012 and an estimated 467,000 addicted to heroin.^[2]   The consequences of this abuse have been devastating and are on the rise.  For example, the number of unintentional overdose deaths from prescription pain relievers has soared in the United States, more than quadrupling since 1999.  There is also growing evidence to suggest a relationship between increased non-medical use of opioid analgesics and heroin abuse in the United States.^[3]  

The pharmacology of opioids reveals that the method of action “masks” the pain rather than addressing the root cause, thereby actually worsening the problem while creating unwanted negative side-effects and addiction to the substance.

The recent discovery of the endocannabinoid system represents a major leap forward in medical neuroscience. The potential of cannabinoids and specifically cannabidiol or CBD to replace opioids in the management of chronic and neuropathic pain represents a major opportunity to remediate the opioid epidemic by replacing opioids with cannabinoids like those found in CBD oil.

Responses to an ABC News poll in the USA conducted in 2005 indicated that 19% of adults (38 million) have chronic pain, and 6% (or 12 million) have utilized cannabis in attempts to treat it (ABC News et al 2005).

The discovery of the endocannabinoid system changes everything for medical schools, medical professionals and physicians alike. Although the major discoveries about the endocannabinoid system were made as far back as the early 1990s and much of the research was done in Israel we are still decades away from physicians in America being trained educated and putting into practice endocannabinoid optimization techniques.

In the meantime it’s up to responsible CBD companies, independent practitioners, cannabis lawyers, small pharmacies and progressive doctors to help people understand the massive implications endocannabinoid system and its role in maintaining human homeostasis.

Cannabidiol has been the subject of extensive research and clinical trials to study the efficacy in treatment of myriad medical conditions. Overall the findings point to potential for ameliorating or mitigating a wide range of symptoms and their root causes without side effects.

Many of the beneficial outcomes found in studies as well as anecdotal evidence are related to the anxiolytic and inflammatory properties of the cannabinoids and plant molecules.

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