Colorado: medical cannabis can be prescribed instead of opioids

Recreational cannabis pioneer, The state of Colorado has just passed a law allowing doctors to prescribe medical cannabis in place of opioids. As of August 2, any medical condition that can be treated with opioids will be eligible for a medical cannabis prescription.

Cannabis, pain and opioids

Previously, medical cannabis was only available in Colorado for cancer, glaucoma, AIDS, post-traumatic stress disorder and other chronic conditions that cause severe pain, seizures or nausea. Since opioids are analgesic and anti-inflammatory drugs, prescribed for a wide variety of conditions involving pain and inflammation, this list has been considerably extended.

These widely-prescribed drugs create a physical dependency that leads to addiction. They were responsible for over 70,000 deaths in 2017. The mortality associated with their use has lowered total life expectancy in the United States. In Colorado, they have become more deadly than road accidents. And the state is not the first to swap opioid prescriptions for medical cannabis. Illinois passed a similar law in February.

Colorado Governor Jared Polis has signed the law last Thursday specifying that «Colorado was losing a member of its community to drug overdose approximately every nine hours, with opioids accounting for more than half of these deaths.» «These deaths can be prevented. In light of these statistics, it is the duty of our legislators to provide physicians with opportunities to discuss alternatives to opioids and provide patients with choices,» he added, stressing that more research was needed, however.

This bipartisan initiative won broad support in both houses, with a vote of 47 to 16 in the House of Representatives and 33 to 2 in the Senate. However, it worried some citizens like Stephanie Stewart, a physician in Aurora: «This law will substitute cannabis for an FDA-approved medication - something that is unregulated for something that is highly regulated». Others are concerned that the law applies to minors. For Ashley Weber, Executive Director of NORML Colorado, however, cannabis remains a «safer pain management tool» than opioids.