Relieving Pain With Cannabis: A Valuable Lesson From Utah
Utah is among more than three-dozen states with active medical cannabis programs. Like nearly all of their counterparts, Utah includes persistent pain on its list of qualifying conditions. But the state also includes acute pain under certain circumstances. There is a lesson here, at least if we are willing to look into the details.
Pain Is the Big One
Utahmarijuana.org is the online arm of an organization that offers QMP services to medical cannabis patients by way of multiple clinics throughout the state. They cite recent statistics showing more than 86k medical cannabis users in the state. Among them, more than 63k use it to manage persistent pain.
Utah is not alone in this regard. Persistent pain is the most cited reason for using medical cannabis nationwide. The second and third-place conditions – PTSD and nausea – do not even come close to persistent pain in terms of the number of users. But what about acute pain? What is Utah’s position on it?
Not on the Original List
Acute pain was not originally on Utah’s list of qualifying conditions. But a couple of years into their medical cannabis program, lawmakers took a second look. They ultimately added acute pain after hearing from patients, medical providers, and medical cannabis advocates.
For the record, acute pain is pain caused by an acute condition. It is expected to last only as long as the condition itself. A good example is post-surgical pain. It will persist throughout the recovery process. As the patient heals, however, the pain will subside until it eventually goes away completely.
Utah regulations now allow patients expecting, or currently dealing with, chronic pain to utilize medical cannabis instead of other drugs. For regulatory purposes, here is how the state describes qualifying acute pain:
“Acute pain that is expected to last for 2 weeks or longer for an acute condition, including a surgical procedure, for which a medical professional may generally prescribe opioids for a limited duration.”
The last section of the definition is the most critical. It is the basis for the previously mentioned lesson we could all learn from Utah regulators.
An Opioid Replacement
Utah regulations stipulate that medical cannabis is an appropriate treatment for acute pain – if that pain would otherwise be treated with prescription opioids. That’s big. It is really, really big when you consider that we are still fighting to bring an end to the opioid crisis.
Opioids were once considered the gold standard for pain management. Even today, it’s not unusual for a doctor to recommend prescription opioids following dental procedures, surgeries, and severe injuries. But with every prescription comes the risk of unintended consequences. I will not get into those consequences here. We all know what they are.
Cannabis offers a replacement. Not only that, but a growing body of evidence also demonstrates that the risk of addiction with cannabis is substantially lower compared to opioids. Likewise for the prevalence of abuse.
Even Washington Is Coming Around
The U.S. healthcare system has long struggled with the idea of medical cannabis. That is largely due to the fact that marijuana has been a Schedule I controlled substance since the 1970s. Substances on Schedule I are believed to have no medical value but a high potential for addiction. Cannabis doesn’t fit the description. Even Washington is now starting to figure that out.
If you haven’t heard, it’s quite likely the DEA will move cannabis to Schedule III by the end of a year. Doing so will open the floodgates to medical research. In the meantime, Utah will continue administering one of the best medical cannabis programs in the country.
