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Researchers Studying if Marijuana Can Stop Opioid Cravings

THC Opioids

Researchers at the Cannabis Research Initiative at the University of California – Los Angeles (UCLA) are determined to find out if marijuana can help stop America’s opioid crisis.

Their study has been designed by Edythe London from UCLA’s School of Medicine and will use different combinations of THC and CBD to see if they can lessens people’s cravings for opioids, WOWT 6 News reports. While the right combination may vary from individual to individual, the study aims to find out which combination may be the most successful in a general sense.

Dr. Jeffrey Chen is leading the charge. He said, “The public consumption of cannabis has already far outpaced our scientific understanding. We really desperately need to catch up.”

Some evidence is already available regarding 6% reductions in opioid prescriptions filled, written and used in states where medical marijuana is available. Another study saw that Medicare Part D participants filled 8.5% fewer opioid prescriptions in medical marijuana states.

These previous studies, however, didn’t look to see if those not using or reducing opioids were switching to medical marijuana. This study aims to provide answers determining if medical marijuana really can help get people off of opioids.