Last Thursday, Sean Spicer conveyed the very first official comments regarding Trump’s current stance on Marijuana legalization. Unfortunately, these comments weren’t exactly what the marijuana industry wanted to hear. In fact, most agreed there was zero science-based evidence used to support what Spicer had to say regarding the issue.
During the press conference, Sean Spicer more or less blamed the use of recreational marijuana on the reason why the United States is suffering from an “opioid crisis.” Spicer claimed supporting the use of recreational marijuana is the very last thing the United States government should be doing as there are still federal laws in place prohibiting it.
The opioid crisis is a problem – but is marijuana to blame?
Per the CDC, there are roughly 91 people who die daily in the United States from opioid overdose. So, just about anyone would agree the opioid crisis in the U.S. is a problem. Does that – however – mean cannabis is to blame?
Statistically, there has never been a person who died from overdosing on cannabis. In fact, there has never – ever – been a case of someone dying from overdosing on cannabis. Experts have estimated that a person would need to consume 1,500 pounds of weed inside of 15 minutes in order to have a fatal reaction to the drug. Which isn’t exactly possible.
Is weed and opioids similar when it comes to addiction?
The worst part of the opioid crisis in the United States is most people don’t set out to become addicted to the drug.
What starts out as a treatment for some sort of medical problem turns into an addition as people get hooked on the drug without even realizing it has happened.
The American Chemical Society issued a study back in 1997 which compared the addictiveness of several different drugs including nicotine, alcohol, marijuana, and even caffeine.
The results of the survey revealed that a cup of coffee is more addictive than cannabis.
From a science-based point of view, it also doesn’t make sense to link marijuana to opioids because the plant has a relatively safe profile. It has been deemed to be just shy of being 150 times safer than alcohol. It is also a happier alternative when you look at over-the-counter pain medications which can cause side effects such as liver failure.
There are even statistics to suggest the use of opioids has gone down in states where marijuana is currently legal. So, associating the use of recreational marijuana with opioids isn’t really a comparison that makes any sense.
