Marijuana Rehab – CBD for Opiate Withdrawal
Can consuming the plant helps people get off of hard drugs like opiates? This facility thinks so, and cannabis rehab seems to be working.
Detox vs Rehab
It can be confusing, let us break it down.
Detox Centers
Washington Circle Group (WCG) defines detoxification as a medical intervention process aimed at helping a substance abuser cope with acute withdrawal symptoms.
During detox, all addictive substances are removed from the body. You could stop using altogether by going “cold turkey.”
You may be referred to a detox center as your first step to recovery after seeking medical assessment. To handle drug withdrawal symptoms, detox centers are medically supervised facilities.
Rehabilitation Programs
After you have successfully completed detox, either at home or in a detox center, ideally, a rehabilitation program, or “rehab,” is the next phase that can help you achieve long-term success.
In a residential rehab center, you are monitored 24/7, enabling you to manage and sustain the gains made during detox. The type of residential rehab center differs, but it tends to treat mental, emotional, and spiritual aspects of addiction.
Marijuana Rehab – Does it Work?
In an episode of the show Weediquette on VICE TV, journalist and host Krishna visits an unaccredited detox facility in the backwoods of Harmony, Maine. The episode is called Reefer Rehab, and former and current opioid addicts are trying to get getting clean by consuming amounts of cannabis. The people in detox do dabs and consume cannabis beverages under the guidance of their caregivers. The facility is called Genesis farms, and it is both far away from a hospital and far away from traditional methods of detoxing and breaking addictions. It seems to be working for several people in attendance. You can check out the episode for free right here.
Fighting the Opioid Epidemic with Cannabis
In the U.S., over 100 people die from opioids every day, according to drug abuse.gov. This includes famous people like musician Prince. The main culprit for the opioid epidemic is the overprescription of pharmaceuticals. Addiction to opioids like oxycodone is widespread because when patient scripts run out, people turn to the black market and often get addicted to heroin to get their fix. Patients who are still in the system often don’t fare much better, with suboxone or methadone addiction becoming a replacement addiction for heroin or oxycodone. Traditional rehab costs are astronomical. The difference is that at Genesis farms, people are taking care of each other, providing emotional support rather than writing RX’s and sending them off. The good news is that states with legal cannabis have fewer cases of reported opioid addiction and overdoses.
How Cannabis Helps
At Genesis Farms, addicts trying to kick opioids are told to feel the pain. They manage the pain with cannabis instead of dulling it with pharmaceuticals. Cannabis helps with pain, but it doesn’t make it go away completely. It just makes it more manageable. Some critics of Genesis Farms say that people are substituting one drug for another. However, cannabis is not physically addictive like opioids are. People who stop consuming weed don’t shake and sweat because of withdrawal. The only way anyone can die from cannabis is if 100 pounds is dropped on their heads.
More Research is Necessary
While this research is only anecdotal right now, it is promising. Getting off opioids effectively includes a mixture of weening, counseling, treatment plans, and so on. Including weed in that treatment plan can help – but it’s not a magic wand. It helps treat the symptoms like nausea, vomiting, chronic pain, trouble sleeping, which are all common symptoms of opioid withdrawal. Cannabis can help get people off of hard drugs like heroin by treating these withdrawal symptoms. It’s a broken record, more tests and research needs to be done. Evidence is emerging and is promising at its early stages. Restrictions placed on cannabis due to DEA classifications continue to halt this much-needed progress.
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