Medical marijuana could help those struggling with addiction to heroin and other opioids to turn their lives around, says Yasmin Hurd of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in a new review published in Trends in Neurosciences. Prior research has found that cannabinoids could reduce cravings and ease opioid withdrawal symptoms.
In the United States, fatalities related to opioids are rising drastically — in 2014, about 18,893 overdose deaths in the U.S. were related to prescription painkillers, and 10,574 deaths were related to heroin, the American Society of Addiction Medicine reported.
Hurd's report referenced findings from previous animal studies examining the effects of cannabis on opioid addicts. The results showed evidence that cannabinoids could have “long-lasting therapeutic effects,” according to Medical XPress.
