How Opioid Lawsuits Could Divert Pharmaceutical Companies to Cannabis
Opioid-based medicines have long been a controversial prescribed medicine and pain reliever in the US, so much so that there have been over 2000 lawsuits against pharmaceutical companies in cases related to opioids. Their heavily addictive properties alongside potent and lasting side effects have resulted in many US patients’ lives being completely ruined and whole towns being devastated. The US government has been working hard to fix the nationwide damage caused by opioids, with one of their five priorities being providing alternative options for pain management. This is where cannabis could step in.
A survey conducted by American Marijuana looked at opioid prescriptions one year prior and one year after the legalisation of medical cannabis in 19 states. It found that in 15 of the states opioid prescriptions had reduced significantly. For example in Ohio opioid prescriptions reduced by 19.2% in just 2 years. In Pennsylvania the prescriptions reduced by 17.8%. Similar trends were observed in almost all the states that had legalised medical Cannabis. The study has its limitations due to reliance on survey data, however other studies have also lent evidence towards this trend.
Dr.Grinspoon of Harvard Medical School explored this issue in his research; “a longitudinal analysis of the number of opioid prescriptions filled under Medicare Part D, showed that when medical Cannabis laws went into effect in a given state, opioid prescriptions fell by 2.21 million daily doses filled per year.” This effect was further propelled forward when the final infrastructure was in place: “When medical marijuana dispensaries opened, prescriptions for opioids fell by 3.74 million daily doses per year.” The reductions in daily opioid doses particularly affected hydrocodone and morphine prescriptions, two drugs that have had serious negative consequences for many patients in the US. An older study published in 2014 in the JAMA Internal Medicine Journal showed that states with legal medical cannabis had a 24.8% lower mean annual opioid overdose mortality rate compared with states without medical cannabis laws.
Many surveys have been conducted that demonstrate patients’ preference to cannabis over opioids. This includes a 2017 survey in California which demonstrated that 74% of opioids and Cannabis patients said that “the use of cannabis as a substitute with or in conjunction with opioids for select opioid-related issues can decrease opiate dose.”
Science has shown that opiates and cannabinoids overlap in their effects on the body - specifically in terms of pain and dependence - two of the most important elements in this case. Pharmaceutical companies that were invested in opioids are now showing a serious interest in cannabis-based medicines after the devastation opioids have caused in the US. As it stands, on average 130 people die a day from opioid overdoses in the US - many on prescriptions and many who became addicted via prescriptions. Long term opioid use has also been shown to increase sensitivity to pain, thereby ultimately defeating the purpose of medicating in the first place. Considering the high effectiveness and relatively low side effects of cannabis-based medicines for pain management, they are a serious contender to replace opioids entirely and fix a national epidemic stateside.