In a shocking new statistic, the opioid crisis in North America is claiming more victims than even the height of the AIDS epidemic back in the 1990s…
Taking Ohio as a prime example, in 2016 alone, 4,149 residents died from opioid related overdoses, representing a worrying 36 percent increase over the previous year. Those kinds of shocking figures are enough to make anyone’s hair stand on end, especially prescribing family doctors.
The fact that the American Centers for Disease Control (CDC) just claimed that opioid abuse is the biggest killer for under 50s in the US does not bode well for the future, and even President Trump himself is up in arms about the situation.
According to the CDC, in 2015 a staggering 52,000 Americans died from Opioid related overdoses, with many taking their medication in line with prescribed doses from doctors they trusted. that number leapt to 64,000 in 2016, and no one really wants to know what the 2017 statistic will be.
To offer some perspective on the matter, especially in light of the recent Las Vegas shooting and Texas church massacre, FOUR times more Americans die annually from opioid overdoses than from shootings, including mass-shootings. And while you let that fact sink in for just a second, perhaps you are now wondering what potential solutions there could be to solve this tragic problem.
The current opioid epidemic isn’t even really comparable to any other drug epidemic in America. Take the heroin epidemic of the 1970s, and even the crack-cocaine issues of the 1980s; neither came close to deaths causes but legal drugs prescribed daily by medical professionals.
In terms of solutions, it’s a well known fact that cannabis can help greatly to mitigate the negative side effects of opioid withdrawal, but that still leaves some patients feeling high, and many don’t want that. CBD, the secondary non-high inducing compound in the cannabis flower, has also been shown to calm the nerves and to wean patients off of their prescription medications.
While the exact science as to how and why CBD achieves this result in some people is not well documented to date. That fact however is rapidly changing as more and more encouraging research is carried out on the positive health effects of CBD, in America and further afield.
The statistics and shocking figures speak for themselves as many in North America are left wondering how big pharma duped them so badly for so long. Many hope CBD will become a more viable option in the fullness of time, and possibly even a life saver for thousands.
[Image credit- Pixabay]
