Argumentative Essay On Opioids
If you have chronic pain or another condition requiring treatment, your doctor is likely to prescribe an opioid treatment. For physicians, opioids have been the preferred treatment for some time now. Many believe opioids are the most effective treatment available.
The recent opioid crisis and new medical research are calling those assumptions into question. In fact, new evidence is emerging that medical cannabis may actually be a better choice for most people.
1. Effectiveness
Until recently, many people would agree opioids were the most effective treatment for pain. Most medical professionals would have agreed with this assessment. Whether it’s chronic pain or pain associated with another condition, opioids were the doctor’s orders.
New evidence shows medical cannabis is just as effective and perhaps even more …show more content…
Safety
The facts are clear. Opioids are dangerous. While most people think about illegal substances, such as heroin, even “legal” opioids, such as OxyContin, morphine, and others, carry with them inherent risks.
Concerns over safety are rising as many opioid-dependent patients switch their doctor-prescribed medications for cheaper street drugs like heroin. Even if the patients use their prescribed medication, they can very easily overdose. Overdose becomes even more likely if the patient combines multiple opioids.
By contrast, medical cannabis has an extremely low risk of overdose. An average-sized human adult would need to ingest nearly 1,500 pounds of cannabis in a short period of time to overdose. Given most cannabis strains are effective in low doses, it’s very unlikely an overdose would occur.
Medical cannabis in Canada is also made available by licensed producers and has to adhere to strict standards set by Health Canada.
3. Non-Addictive
Opioids are highly addictive. Most people prescribed opioids become dependent on them. Quitting is very difficult, and withdrawal from these substances is incredibly unpleasant. It can even cause
The recent opioid crisis and new medical research are calling those assumptions into question. In fact, new evidence is emerging that medical cannabis may actually be a better choice for most people.
1. Effectiveness
Until recently, many people would agree opioids were the most effective treatment for pain. Most medical professionals would have agreed with this assessment. Whether it’s chronic pain or pain associated with another condition, opioids were the doctor’s orders.
New evidence shows medical cannabis is just as effective and perhaps even more …show more content…
Safety
The facts are clear. Opioids are dangerous. While most people think about illegal substances, such as heroin, even “legal” opioids, such as OxyContin, morphine, and others, carry with them inherent risks.
Concerns over safety are rising as many opioid-dependent patients switch their doctor-prescribed medications for cheaper street drugs like heroin. Even if the patients use their prescribed medication, they can very easily overdose. Overdose becomes even more likely if the patient combines multiple opioids.
By contrast, medical cannabis has an extremely low risk of overdose. An average-sized human adult would need to ingest nearly 1,500 pounds of cannabis in a short period of time to overdose. Given most cannabis strains are effective in low doses, it’s very unlikely an overdose would occur.
Medical cannabis in Canada is also made available by licensed producers and has to adhere to strict standards set by Health Canada.
3. Non-Addictive
Opioids are highly addictive. Most people prescribed opioids become dependent on them. Quitting is very difficult, and withdrawal from these substances is incredibly unpleasant. It can even cause