Contributor: Robert Wallace
While many anti-cannabis naysayers like to ridicule the recreational users of this fantastic plant, they often neglect the fact that marijuana is regularly used to get people off of actually lethal substances. These same people aren’t aware of how marijuana is used to treat heroin addiction, or how to use marijuana to treat alcoholism. In fact, a growing number of people are beginning to use weed for opiate withdrawal, and the horrendous physical (and mental) effects that come along with it.
Here’s How Weed Can Help People With Addictions
Cannabis is being used to treat addictions across the country, and for justified reasons. There’s a litany of data proving how smoking weed for opiate withdrawal can be beneficial. They’ve also discovered that using marijuana to quit drinking has been an incredibly successful option when thinking of how to treat alcoholics with cannabis. And when it comes to cannabis and opioid addiction, there’s even more statistical evidence proving that using marijuana to detox from opiates isn’t only effective – it’s safe, and it helps thousands of people get back to their normal lives.
But, when your present this argument to the idiotic, misguided morons on Capitol Hill, they routinely deny all the scientific evidence in front of them. This is most likely due to the corrupt relationship “Big Pharma” has with politicians in Washington.
Everybody knows cannabis is a far more effective medicine for a number of different ailments, and with it being abundantly safe and non-addictive, it stands as the biggest enemy to these opioid companies, who are charging a small fortune for these exorbitantly expensive, lethally addictive pills that rarely live up to their promised relief, and in turn, leave the user in way worse shape than they started. Oh, and they’ve likely grown addicted to these dangerous opioids along the way, as well. It’s a “lose, lose” situation if I’ve ever seen one.
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It’s all a sickening cycle that needs to come to an end, and marijuana is proving to be the best way to rid ourselves of this horrendous opioid crisis, and addictions, in general.
The same way people are weaning themselves off of opioids through microdosing cannabis is the same way people are trying to rid themselves of their heroin or alcohol addictions. What many “claimed” was a “gateway drug” is actually the organic compound that seems tailor-made to help people live better, healthier lives, without any potentially lethal substance addictions.
Another thing that is worth noting is that, in any of these aforementioned addictions, cannabis not only helps people calmly work their way off whatever substance they were addicted to, but it also helps them physically deal with the ramifications of a detox.
Also, when going through such a taxing ordeal, like detoxifying, your mind will go through a range of emotions, and cannabis is specifically designed to help calm those frantic, anxious thoughts, by replacing them with optimistic and positive affirmations.
Again, this isn’t just a broad hypothesis or generic statement made in hopes that it is somehow true, this is just a fact. It’s been proven time and time again, and as we learn more about the intricacies of cannabis (i.e. terpenes, cannabinoids, etc.), the more we’ll know about exactly what it is that helps people in various stages of treating addiction.
That way, armed with that specific knowledge, growers and cultivators can splice and blend strains together to create truly effective forms of cannabis medicine, that will work in a more streamlined, consistent way, as opposed to hoping for a “good batch.” This would help so many people get the calming relief they so desperately need, and in a much more efficient way.
One of the main reasons people are using cannabis to treat opioid addictions is because, well, it makes them feel like a person again.
Opioid users often comment on how these pills, and whatever they promise to treat, will make them feel like “zombies.” These usually sedative pills remove all motivation and energy from these poor patients, and create sluggish demeanors and depressed thoughts in their wake. Whereas cannabis is famous for the exact opposite.
With thousands of people dying every single year from opioid overdoses and addictions, it only makes sense that the medical community take on cannabis as a proven way to treat these patients. Even doctors, who slightly disagree with the miraculous benefits of cannabis, can’t deny the facts that are presented to them, proving that marijuana is the ideal way to treat addictions.
Even politicians, as stubborn as they are, are showing subtle support for marijuana being used to treat addictions. One such lawmaker, Rep. Diane Russell from Maine commented, “I don’t think it’s a cure for everybody, but why take a solution off the table when people are telling us and physicians are telling us that it’s working?”
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Our sentiments exactly, Rep. Russell. And she’s not the only one calling for the “powers that be” to look at the facts, as cannabis may save thousands of lives if put into practice as a way to treat addictions.
Like, Dri. Richard Saitz, for example.
He is the Chair of the Department of Community Health Services at the Boston University School of Public Health. When he was reached for comment on the situation, he said, ”We are in the midst of a serious problem. People are dying and, as a result, we ought to use things that are proven to be effective.”
To be fair, there is still some skepticism being shown in the medical field, but it’s not because they don’t believe the evidence, they just don’t want to rush into things too quickly, as that may result in unforeseen negative effects. They simply want to make sure, through a series of tests and exams, that they know, without a shadow of a doubt, that cannabis is the end-all, be-all solution to treating addictions.
A neurologist in Maine, Patricia Hymanson, echoed a similar statement in a recent comment she made, when asked for her two cents on the issue.
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Specifically, Hymanson said, “It’s hard to argue against anecdotal evidence when you are in the middle of a crisis, but if you do too many things too fast, you are sometimes left with problems on the other end.”
Lastly, I feel it best to quote a cannabis-friendly doctor who has been helping people overcome their addictions, with the help of marijuana, for years. Dr. Gary Witman from Massachusetts works at Canna Care Docs, and he is one of the biggest advocates for cannabis as a treatment for addictions in the country.
Speaking on how the typical patient feels after using marijuana to treat their addictions, Dr. Witman remarked, “When I see them in a six-month follow-up, they are much more focused. They have greater respect. They feel better about themselves. Most importantly, I’m able to get them back to gainful employment.”
Which, coincidentally, is how most people would describe “living life.” Cannabis can help these people do away with their harmful, dangerous addictions, and get them back to living life again.
Because, at the end of the day, that’s what matters most.
