Patients Prefer Cannabis Over Opioids, According to New Canadian Survey
More patients are making the switch from pills to a safer alternative. Those who are suffering from chronic pain and who are on medication said they would prefer medical cannabis over their prescription opioid pills, according to a new research study led by the University of British Columbia and University of Victoria in Canada. The study was published in the International Journal of Drug Policy and was funded by Canada’s massive licensed producer, Tilray.
Researchers looked at over 250 patients who registered patients and who receive cannabis from Tilray. Patients suffered from illnesses including chronic pain, mental health and gastrointestinal disorders. The company is one of Canada’s 30 federally-licensed producers that are authorized to produce cannabis. 63 percent of respondents reported using medical cannabis instead of their medication which included opioids, benzodiazepines(sedatives), and anti-depressants. Patients answered questions about cannabis use using an online survey.
University of British Columbia Associate Professor Zach Walsh is co-author of the study. “This study is one of the first to track medical cannabis use under the new system of licensed producers, meaning that all participants had physician authorization to access cannabis in addition to their prescription medicines,” Walsh said in a press release. Walsh stipulated that more research is needed to compare cannabis to front-line treatments, before medical cannabis use can be warranted. Walsh stressed that cannabis may play an important rule in the solution to curbing opioid abuse in the future.
The study was lead by Philippe Lucas, who served as vice-president of Patient Research and Access at Tilray. Lucas earned experience at the University of Victoria Centre for Addictions Research of British Columbia. Tilray is federally licensed to research and process cannabis in Canada. Lucas believes that one of the main reasons patients are switching to cannabis is to avoid the side effects of prescription pills. He also says that patients believe cannabis is safer than pills. Opioid abuse is one of the most obvious areas where medical cannabis can be used as a safer replacement.
