Marijuana Transitions From Devil's Weed to Addiction Cure
By John Persinos
Marijuana used to have nicknames such as "The Devil's Weed" or "Satan's Salad." Nowadays, such characterizations are laughably archaic.
Not only is pot increasingly legal, but it's also gaining recognition by the medical establishment as a means for curing deadly drug addiction.
Consider opioid addiction. It's still a scourge that kills about 80,000 Americans every year, but once-demonized marijuana is now playing the role of rehab hero.
A new federally funded study reveals that marijuana substantially assists individuals with substance misuse disorders in staying off opioids or reducing their usage, maintaining treatment, and managing withdrawal symptoms. More about the study, below.
Opiates vs. opioids…
A quick lesson in terms:
Opiates are chemical compounds that are extracted or refined from natural plant matter (poppy sap and fibers). Examples: opium, morphine, codeine, heroin.
Opioids are chemical compounds that generally are not derived from natural plant matter. Most opioids are made in the lab. Brand name examples: Vicodin, Oxycontin, and Percocet.
In recent years, reams of research related to marijuana and opioids have shown that marijuana can alleviate opiate addiction, as well as alcohol or nicotine addiction.
Fentanyl is an instructive example. Fentanyl is a potent synthetic opioid drug approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for use as an analgesic. Fentanyl addiction and overdose deaths remain a national crisis (see chart released April 2024, which depicts the latest available data):
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