The Rhode Island Department of Health declined to make opioid dependency a qualifying condition for the state’s medical marijuana program – a setback to MMJ companies that might have enjoyed a boost in sales if it had seen approval.
The decision also cited a lack of research demonstrating that marijuana effectively treats OUD and said there was no evidence that including the condition would save lives.
It pointed to other medications like methadone and buprenorphine that effectively treat opioid dependency.
The department will revisit the decision in a year or two to see if there’s new research available.
The program has been on the upswing in recent months, with increased patient numbers and doctors writing recommendations for MMJ. State lawmakers approved medical marijuana use in 2007.
– Associated Press
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“… said there was no evidence that including the condition would save lives.” Is that because research on schedule 1 drugs is almost impossible to do?
Obviously they didn’t watch 60 minutes a few weeks ago addressing this very issue regarding marijuana as a way of helping opioid addiction. Dr Gupta did an outstanding job interviewing people that were addicted to opioids where marijuana helped them quit opioids..
Suboxone is a prison. It’s just another opiate. I hate being on it and I hate that the half life is so long that withdrawl takes weeks to recover.