Could cannabis mellow out California’s share of the opioid crisis? Some have high hopes.

California has experienced more than its fair share of opioid addiction and related deaths in the past few years, and local agencies have worked to limit doses, control drug flow, halt ODs and prescribe policy to encapsule the whole effort.

But an outside agency, Canadian Apollo Cannabis Clinic, states that an easy answer could be just beneath Californians’ noses in the form of a sticky green plant.

A by-the-numbers report from the company claims that cannabis could indeed be a gateway drug — out of opioid abuse.

Canada and California have relative populations of 36 million and 39 million, respectively. Despite this similarity, Canada has only 19 million prescriptions to California’s 29 million, according to the California Department of Public Health and QuintilesMS.

the report — which pulls mostly from news sources and overall health statistics — adds that the U.S. pops 99 percent of the world’s Hydrocodone supply and 88 percent of its Oxycodone, perhaps accounting for the heightened addiction numbers.

Canada has dealt with its own addiction crisis in recent years, earning them a number two spot on the list of opioid-consuming countries. But based on the numbers above, our northern neighbor is far out from being first.

Fighting ODs with OGs

Canada has allowed medical cannabis since 2001, recognizing the substance as a medicinal alternative to treating chronic pain and other ailments. Health Canada claimed this year that the country has nearly 130,000 registered medical users, and that number has taken off in recent years. The report claims that 64 percent of medicinal users limited or ceased use of opioids and other pain medications.

The large-scale approach might cause some to zone out, but Yolo County has a place at the circle. Yolo has ducked clear of the most daunting statistics, but nine opioid-related deaths still occurred in 2016. With that, Yolo has a high number of prescriptions: 128,290 among 213,000 residents — over half the population.

Most of those prescriptions belong to those above age 70, likely in need of relief for chronic pains.

It’s worth noting that a fair share of opioid related deaths are simple accidents — taking just over the prescribed amount can be fatal. Moreover, combining opioids with other substances like alcohol can cause an overdose.

Cannabis, even in hefty doses, has never been linked to an overdose.

The report claims that one only needs to take five times the prescribed amount of an opioid to experience overdose symptoms, but one must ingest 1,000 times the effective cannabis dose to experience the same health concerns. It’s nearly impossible to consume so much of the product in one sitting, let alone one digestive cycle. “Twisting” cannabis with alcohol also does not warrant an overdose beyond the effects drinking.

Yolo County has spent much of the past year to foster the cannabis industry locally, focusing on recreational cultivation and use as permitted by Proposition 64, which passed November 2016.

On the cultivation scale, Yolo County has cultivated medical cannabis for some time, sprouting just under 70 grow sites in rural areas.

Contact Hans Peter at 530-406-6238.