Use of CBD for Pain Relief Could Be The Answer for the Opioid Epidemic
Pain management is one of the uses of CBD. The use of CBD for pain relief is particularly important because it can cause a seismic shift in the country’s war against opioid addiction. Americanmarijuana.org surveyed to examine trends related to CBD use as well as how it compares against opioids in terms of effectiveness. Participants were also asked to give the advantages and disadvantages of using CBD for pain relief. This study involved 1,453 American users, and we break it down for you below.
Demographics
Participants in this study were broken down as regular and non-regular users. They were also categorized according to the generations they come from. These generations include Gen Z, Millennials, Gen X, and Baby Boomers.
Of the people surveyed, 966 participants representing 66.48% identified themselves as regular users, while 485, representing 33.37% of the participants, described themselves as non-regular users.
When broken down in age, the different generations faired as follows:
- 870 Millennials representing 59.87% of all participants
- 276 Gen Xers representing 18.99 %
- 182 Gen Z which is equivalent to 12.53%, and
- 125 Boomers represent 8.6% of the participants.
Type of Pain CBD is Used for and Method of Intake
60% use it for the management of chronic pain, while 34% use it for migraines. 28% use it to manage arthritis-related pain and 3% for cancer treatment-related pain.
Method of Administration
- 41% said they inhale it through vaping or smoking
- 32% use it externally through CBD topicals
- 31% use CBD oils and tinctures
- 27% take CBD infused edibles
- 26% use capsules while
- 9% use it sublingually
Other Questions Pertain to CBD’S Efficiency in Providing Relief for Pain
In these questions, the survey sought to determine whether CBD alone is sufficient to relieve pain, whether users develop tolerance after using it over time, and whether it has any side effects.
- 53% of the participants said they found CBD alone sufficient
- 32% didn’t record developing tolerance to CBD, and
- 44% of participants stated they had never experienced any side effects.
On the Issue of How CBD Compares with Opioids, the findings were as follows.
259 (17.83%) participants had been regular opioid users before they started using CBD. Of this number, only 2.70% recorded having increased their opioid dosage since they started using CBD. A substantial 40.15% stopped using opioids altogether, while 57.14% continued using opioids but at lower quantities.
This finding is significant for the war on opioids as over 97% of users had their need for opioids eliminated or reduced by the use of CBD.
73% of the participants who formerly used opioids found that their opioid withdrawal symptoms reduced when they began using CBD, but 3% didn’t see a reduction of symptoms. Based on their experience with CBD, 84% of participants felt that CBD could replace opioids as a pain reliever.
When asked what they thought was the most significant advantage CBD has over opioids, participants responded as follows.
- 0% – fewer and milder side effects
- 10% – It is not addictive
- 08% – It is more effective
- 81% – It has fewer withdrawal symptoms
The study sought to determine what the participants’ medical practitioners thought about the use of CBD for pain.
44% of them support it, while 9% are against it. However, there is a considerable percentage (31%) of users who don’t inform their doctors that they use CBD for pain relief.