“As first reported by MassRoots political correspondent Tom Angell, the National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA) now states on its website that three recent studies, two of which it funded, suggest “medical marijuana products may have a role in reducing the use of opioids needed to control pain.”
Marijuana advocates see this as a significant admission from NIDA, which has insisted in the past that marijuana’s potential benefits are outweighed by its negative side effects and stated that its use may “cause problems in daily life or make a person’s existing problems worse.”
Legalization advocates and certain lawmakers such as Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) have touted marijuana reform as a way to curb opioid abuse in the midst of a national epidemic. But the federal government has been slow to respond to mounting evidence that doctors prescribe fewer opioids and there are less opioid-related overdoses in states where the plant is legal. The website update is one of the first signs of a shift in the federal government’s view on the issue.
Read more at: https://www.attn.com/stories/16906/federal-agency-admits-marijuana-curbs-opioid-use
Source: Attn.com – May 1, 2017
In this day of medical marijuana in some states, and recreational marijuana as well, what is a treatment program to do when it comes to testing for the drug. We checked with the Joint Commission and with the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). Both say the same: test at admission, and from then on, it’s up to you.
Both SAMHSA and the Joint Commission specify that admission to an OTP requires running the following toxicology tests: opioids, methadone, buprenorphine, amphetamines, cocaine, marijuana, and benzodiazepines. SAMHSA states that if there is a history of prescription opioid analgesic abuse, “an expanded toxicology panel that includes these opioids should be administered.”