02-04-2017, 10:07 AM
The Underexplored Potential of Cannabis to Treat Opioid Addiction
By <a data-ipb="nomediaparse" href="https://psychcentral.com/news/author/tpedersen">Traci Pedersen</a>
2/4/17
In a new paper published in the journal Trends in Neuroscience, a neurobiologist argues that using cannabis for opioid withdrawal and pain relief is a promising area of research that has been largely neglected in the scientific community. And in light of the current opioid epidemic and positive early trials of cannabis, this needs to change.
The author, Yasmin L. Hurd, Ph.D., studies the molecular and neurochemical effects of both cannabinoids extracts of cannabis legally sold as medical marijuana and opioids. She is the Ward-Coleman Chair of Translational Neuroscience at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, and Director of the Center for Addictive Disorders for the Mount Sinai Behavioral Health System.
Although there is certainly a growing interest in cannabinoids among the scientific community, one problem is that there are still restrictions on its use in human studies.
Surprisingly, the scientific community has been largely missing from most conversations and policymaking decisions regarding the legalization of marijuana for medical purposes, said Hurd.
For one of the first times in U.S. history, it is the general public and politicians, not scientists and physicians, who are determining the medical value of this drug in states where marijuana use has been legalized for medical purposes. Clearly, the legalization of marijuana has outpaced the science. But if we want to be able to accurately say something is medical marijuana, we have to prove that it is, indeed, medicinal.....
<a data-ipb="nomediaparse" href="https://psychcentral.com/news/2017/02/04/the-underexplored-potential-of-cannabis-to-treat-opioid-addiction/115990.html">https://psychcentral.com/news/2017/02/04/the-underexplored-potential-of-cannabis-to-treat-opioid-addiction/115990.html</a>
By <a data-ipb="nomediaparse" href="https://psychcentral.com/news/author/tpedersen">Traci Pedersen</a>
2/4/17
In a new paper published in the journal Trends in Neuroscience, a neurobiologist argues that using cannabis for opioid withdrawal and pain relief is a promising area of research that has been largely neglected in the scientific community. And in light of the current opioid epidemic and positive early trials of cannabis, this needs to change.
The author, Yasmin L. Hurd, Ph.D., studies the molecular and neurochemical effects of both cannabinoids extracts of cannabis legally sold as medical marijuana and opioids. She is the Ward-Coleman Chair of Translational Neuroscience at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, and Director of the Center for Addictive Disorders for the Mount Sinai Behavioral Health System.
Although there is certainly a growing interest in cannabinoids among the scientific community, one problem is that there are still restrictions on its use in human studies.
Surprisingly, the scientific community has been largely missing from most conversations and policymaking decisions regarding the legalization of marijuana for medical purposes, said Hurd.
For one of the first times in U.S. history, it is the general public and politicians, not scientists and physicians, who are determining the medical value of this drug in states where marijuana use has been legalized for medical purposes. Clearly, the legalization of marijuana has outpaced the science. But if we want to be able to accurately say something is medical marijuana, we have to prove that it is, indeed, medicinal.....
<a data-ipb="nomediaparse" href="https://psychcentral.com/news/2017/02/04/the-underexplored-potential-of-cannabis-to-treat-opioid-addiction/115990.html">https://psychcentral.com/news/2017/02/04/the-underexplored-potential-of-cannabis-to-treat-opioid-addiction/115990.html</a>