By: Billy Mug
Photo by: Rick Kuehn
From 1850 to 1942, marijuana was listed in the US Pharmacopoeia as a very useful medicine for nausea, rheumatism, and labor pains. Back then, you could fetch marijuana from the local general store or pharmacy.
Today, opiates are the prescribed medicine of choice for pain management in the United States. Opiates include substances such as heroin, morphine, and thebaine. Popular prescription opioids include drugs such as hydrocodone, fentanyl, and oxycodone. These highly addictive drugs are made from the chemicals found in the sap of opium poppy located in the Afghan mountains. Opiates are the one of the most abused drugs in U.S history. They are prescribed by doctors in unprecedented fashion, you can find them just about anywhere and they are extremely addictive. As opioid-related deaths continue to rise, lawmakers should use medical marijuana as tool to combat America’s opiate addiction.
Marijuana is much safer than a majority of pain medications on the market today. The side effects of marijuana are moderate to say the least. The typical symptoms associated with the marijuana include headaches, sleepiness, and dry mouth. On the other hand, opioids are associated with far greater health risks and side effects including, but not limited to, respiratory depression, vomiting, constipation, liver damage, brain damage, development of tolerance, and the worst – dependence. Our country is currently living in an opioid painkiller epidemic where our physicians pass out painkillers like candy. Research has proven medical cannabis to be an effective, safe pain reliever. States that have legalized medical marijuana like Colorado and Washington have seen drastic reductions in opioid-related overdoses. We must demand more to be done by our local and state governments to find a more practical solution to pain management. Patients and their families deserve lab tested, high quality medicine that is non- addictive.
