How Medicinal Marijuana is Changing (and Saving) Lives

The opioid epidemic is constantly growing, and it has been for more than a decade. Each year, more and more people overdose on opioid prescription painkillers, and each year, more and more people are prescribed the drug as an effective painkiller. However, opioids are generally addictive, and patients may develop a tolerance after using them for an extended period of time. With the legalization of marijuana, patients and doctors are offered more solutions and treatment options that are already saving lives.

The Opioid Epidemic

For almost two decades, opioid overdoses have been causing thousands of American deaths each year. In 2015, opioid overdose killed 33,000 people, a huge increase from the 8,000 killed in 1999. The pain relief drug is highly addictive, debilitating, and often causes a tolerance after extended use that renders the drug ineffective. Marijuana, a known pain reliever, has been shown to lower tolerance to opioids and increase effectiveness of lower doses. After Colorado legalized recreational marijuana, the state saw more than a 6% decrease in opioid deaths in the 2 years following the law. There are countless other studies that examine the benefits of medical marijuana on opioid overdoses, most concluding that marijuana has a beneficial effect on the health of the state's residents.

Medical Marijuana Effects

Similar to opioids, medical marijuana is highly effective in treating chronic pain. However, many doctors and patients would prefer marijuana over opioids, as the cannabis is cheaper, safer, and generally more effective than the dangerously addictive opioids. In addition, marijuana is generally seen as impossible to overdose on. With many treatment options, healthcare professionals can keep the cannabis amount lower because of its already high effectiveness in pain relief.

Treatment Benefits

With marijuana's pain and low-addiction benefits, many doctors and patients prefer cannabis. As more and more states legalize the drug, medical treatments become more advanced and effective in utilizing marijuana's properties. In addition, the opiate overdose deaths decreased by 25% in states that legalized medical marijuana, studying the years from 1999 to 2010, as well as noting the deaths decreased exponentially each year the marijuana was accessible.



As medicinal marijuana becomes legalized, more people have the option of using the affordable, non-addictive treatment and pain killer. Opioid addicts, as well as others with drug dependencies, will be able to utilize marijuana to help fight and cure their addictions; the nationwide effect of marijuana on the people's health and disease rates is practically undeniable. Maryland's recent legalization of medicinal marijuana has allowed many people to seek treatment and certification from doctors and healthcare professionals, opening a wide range of treatment possibilities from dispensaries.





Greenhouse Wellness is a Maryland medical marijuana dispensary that emphasizes improving and healing people's lives through cannabis. To join in restoring your personal health, begin your medical marijuana journey at Greenhouse Wellness today.