Opiates are a pharmacological class of analgesic drugs used to treat moderate to severe pain. However, there are many drawbacks and side effects for even moderate opiate use. Research has shown that continued opioid use in chronic pain patients may even have an antagonistic, sensitizing effect on pain receptors, actually decreasing the pain threshold while simultaneously causing the development of a dependence. This has lead to the addiction crisis currently known as the ‘Opioid epidemic.’ Recently, CBD-enriched cannabis has been shown in the laboratory setting to provide mild to moderate pain relief in patients. Significantly, it was also shown to synergize with existing opiate medication regiments and increase the qualitative effectiveness of their dose, thus acting to reduce the overall needed dose to achieve desired analgesia. There is huge potential for CBD and other cannabinoids to either synergize with or develop independently of current opioid medications to become a better, safer source of pain relieving drugs.
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