Arizona Introduces Medical Cannabis Therapies to Combat Opioid Addiction

The opioid epidemic has been a major concern in this country for a long while now, and although many places still prohibit medical cannabis, there have been a number of studies recently that have proven that medical cannabis can help opioid addicts kick the habit.

In Scottsdale, Arizona, Blue Door Therapeutics are prescribing medical cannabis capsules and patches to help addicts handle the withdrawal symptoms associated with detoxing from opioids. The medical cannabis pills and patches can help patients at the rehabilitation facility with nausea, inflammation and anxiety to better stabilize the patient’s underlying conditions.

There have been heartfelt testimonials from patients at Blue Door Therapeutics that have been in their program and have seen great results from weaning off of the opioids with medical cannabis’ help. One female patient at Blue Door told ABC 15 that she had used oxycodone for six years because of some back-to-back knee surgeries, and with Blue Door’s help and the medical cannabis capsules they prescribed to her, she was able to wean off the opioids in six weeks.

The doctors at Blue Door do not support the smoking of medical cannabis, in part because of the lack of control in dosage, as it can make the patients susceptible to abuse the substance. However, all participants in the program must meet the criteria of the medical cannabis card requirements. “They have to meet the state’s criteria for participation in the program, and that it will be used responsibly and in a way that’s not habit forming,” Dr. Ravi Chandiramani, Blue Door’s Medical Director said.

With the recent declaration by Arizona’s Governor Doug Ducey of a public health emergency due to the surge in opioid overdoses and deaths, Blue Door is doing their part to try and help the community heal and help each other in this way.

Over 790 deaths last year were due to opioid overdoses—the Arizona Department of Health Services released a report last week showing an average of more than two people died every day last year from prescription opioid or heroin overdoses, which is a 74 percent surge since 2012. The Governor’s declaration will soon require hospitals, doctors and other health providers to more frequently update state health officials on overdose deaths and opioid-related encounters. It also is designed to expand distribution of the overdose-reversal drug naloxone to law enforcement statewide, particularly in communities with clusters of overdose deaths or near-deaths. The state government aims to develop new guidelines for prescribing opioids and expand the access to medication-assisted drug treatment programs.

Arizona is not the only state to look to all natural cannabis medicines to aid in opioid addiction treatment, Vermont has also been discussing the same issue, as they have recently approved medical cannabis for chronic pain, specifically to help reduce opiate abuse. “At a time when opiate addiction is ravaging our state and drug companies continue to urge our doctors to pass out painkillers like candy, we need to find a more practical solution to pain management,” Vermont Governor Shumlin said in a statement. “This bill ensures that Vermonters who are suffering will have access to medicine that is high quality, laboratory tested, and most importantly non-addictive.”

Physician Jonathan Spero works with medical cannabis patients at The Healing Clinic in Illinois and says many patients he sees are seeking to trade their opiate painkillers for medical cannabis.