Medical marijuana advertisements showcase is its effective benefits for treating many ailments and conditions. Ailments treated by cannabis cover a full spectrum, but none is more significant than pain. In fact, many who were once hooked on pain pills now take medical marijuana to receive the same pain relief. When comparing marijuana versus painkillers, the better pain reliever is clear.
Marijuana versus Painkillers: Which is the Better Pain Reliever?
What gives marijuana its miracle ability to help with pain relief? The answer is analgesia, a powerful pain reliever found in drugs.
The chemicals in marijuana are commonly known as cannabinoids. These compounds have been shown to significantly relieve pain by “connecting to the pain receptors in the central nervous system.” Cannabinoids are highly effective pain relievers and are a better treatment option than traditional painkillers, like opiates.
Opioids are chemical substances that act on the opioid receptors to produce morphine-like effects making them highly addictive. High doses of opioids slow down breathing and heart rate, the leading causes of death among opioid users. Examples of opioids include painkillers such as:
- Buprenorphine
- Hydrocodone
- Methadone
- Morphine
- Oxycodone
Marijuana Vs Pharmaceuticals: cannabinoid vs opioid
Medical marijuana reduces pain so efficiently that opiate use is on the decline in states where medical marijuana is legal. Newsweek reported that overdose deaths from painkiller opioids have tripled since 1991, with 46% of people dying every day from overdoses. The difference between cannabinoids and opioids is cannabis has never been linked to any fatalities.
Today, the states that legalized medical marijuana between 1999 and 2010 have seen 25% fewer people die from opioid overdoses every year. As marijuana continues to legalize across states, those states see a decrease in opioid-related deaths. This shift in data is striking, and only one thing can explain why these states have a decreased opioid overdose problem–marijuana.
For those suffering from chronic pain, living in a medical marijuana state may provide you more pain treatment options than just traditional opioid painkillers. Many patients use medical marijuana instead of painkillers, and many others use marijuana to supplement painkillers, requiring they take a lower dosage that is less likely to lead to possibly fatal issues.
The use of medical marijuana vs prescription drugs
Every day new stories pop up about medical marijuana and how it saves lives. When it comes to pain treatment, one of the most recent stories comes from Jim McMahon, a former Bears quarterback. Jim suffers from chronic pain, severe headaches, depression, and early-onset dementia, among other debilitating problems. To combat the chronic pain, he was on a long-term diet of painkillers.
Now, Jim only uses medical marijuana to help with the pain. He describes marijuana as a safer and more efficient remedy, and he is sharing his story and support of marijuana with the world. In a video, McMahon discusses marijuana versus painkillers and his early onset dementia from his concussions.
Visit Us to Find Your Pain ‘ReLeaf’
The medical benefits of marijuana are natural and safer than tradition prescription medications. As a recreational benefactor, the link between marijuana and death doesn’t exist, while opioid-related deaths are all too common. Learn more about marijuana and visit our Las Vegas dispensary.
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