Preliminary data from the US Centers of Disease Control and Prevention released recently cited that more than 72,000 Americans died of drug overdoses in 2017, up nearly 7% from 2016 https://www.cnn.com/2018/08/16/health/us-overdose-death-report-cdc/index.html. As if this wasn’t alarming enough, the actual numbers may be higher according to the CDC because investigations may be incomplete. As well, nearly 30,000 overdose deaths were related to fentanyl and other synthetic opioids in 2017, which is 22 times the number of deaths due to these drugs in 2002, the CDC revealed.

Lauren Rossen, a co-author of the report and a statistician at the CDC's National Center for Health Statistics suggests that “the most striking patterns at the national level are the recent increases in the numbers of drug overdose deaths involving synthetic opioids (excluding methadone).”

The number of fatalities due to opioid-related deaths are every bit as frightening in Canada. According to updated and available preliminary data there were nearly 4,000 apparent opioid-related deaths last year of which 92% were accidental.https://www.canada.ca/en/health.../opioids/apparent-opioid-related-deaths.htm While males made up 78% of these fatalities, the highest percentage (28%) occurred among individuals between the ages of 30 and 39 years. From January to September 2017, 72% of accidental apparent opioid-related deaths involved fentanyl or fentanyl analogues compared to 55% in 2016.

These stats are compelling enough but don’t tell the full story about why these deaths are happening and the role of fentanyl as the culprit. When people suffer from breakthrough pain they need fast relief. If the pain is not alleviated quickly enough, the tendency is for the patient to take more than the recommended dose. Not surprisingly, this can lead to a fatal overdose.

Because of my education and experience in bio pharma and the fact that I am married to an oncologist, I’ve learned that pain changes people. I am convinced that most people do not intentionally want to abuse prescription drugs or that those who suffer from uncontrolled chronic pain want to live in the kind of fog that certain pharmaceuticals produce. I think we’d all agree that having access to safe pain relief for a diagnosed medical condition is the way to go.

Is cannabis the answer to a reduction in opioid use? My sense is that many physicians believe that cannabis could help reduce opioid use - what is missing is the data to prove it. Until that happens, don’t count on medical professionals authorizing cannabis as an alternative to opioids in controlling pain. The truth is that there is still a lot to be learned about the safety and efficacy of cannabis. There is an urgent need to educate doctors, healthcare providers, patients, caregivers and the public about what we know and don’t know about the potential positive and adverse health effects of cannabis.

The good news is that Health Canada recently approved a clinical trial to investigate a drug containing cannabis called PPP001, which means that concrete solutions to address the crisis and reduce patient suffering is far more advanced than we think. The research will see cannabis challenge fentanyl as a proven alternative in the relief of breakthrough cancer pain. This Phase 3 trial approved by our country’s health regulator, recognizes that evidence is the barrier to medical treatment by doctors with cannabis or any cannabis-related product. Rigorous cannabis research will answer important questions and could provide solutions to unmet patient needs in chronic pain and associated symptoms like depression, anxiety, loss of appetite and insomnia. It may also provide a way out of North American society’s opioid addiction epidemic.

Furthermore, wherever cannabis and cannabinoid products are approved as drugs, they will be available in pharmacies ensuring both quality and controlled dosing. In Canada for example, citizens will be covered by insurance formularies so that cost is not an obstacle for patients.

Research is bringing us ever closer to the day when physicians and the medical community will have the evidence they require to confidently prescribe cannabis as a therapeutic option. I am excited to be a part of this revolutionary process.



