International Overdose Awareness Day 2020
/Yesterday was International Overdose Awareness Day.
Eleven Canadians die every day in Canada due to opioid-related causes, and like so much else in the post-pandemic world, COVID has made the situation even worse.
British Columbia and Alberta are two of the Canadian provinces hit the hardest by the opioid epidemic. After taking a terrible toll in 2017 and 2018, death rates in 2019 were significantly improving: Post-COVID, the opioid crisis is worse than ever.
While this is a complex public health problem with no easy solution, one thing is clear: If we can reduce opioid prescribing from the start, we can reduce dependency and ultimately reduce deaths. But as a medical community, we need to make some bold changes and be open to new approaches.
In my previous role as the Primary Care Lead for our regional Opioid Reduction Strategy, I was proud to work with hundreds of forward-thinking physicians, pharmacists and nurses to provide education in how cannabinoids can be used as a safe and effective opioid alternative, in the management of chronic pain. As cannabinoids are opioid-sparing, they can also be used by physicians to help patients wean their current opioid dose.
Sadly, despite the evidence and superior safety profile, cannabinoids are still extremely under-utilized by most physicians. With advances in both evidence and patient access, in 2020, there is no reason why cannabinoid medicine shouldn’t be part of every physician’s pain management toolbox, where it is legally available.
In the meantime, my goal is to work with physicians from as many countries as possible, to evolve medicine and help further the international medical community’s thinking about pain management and harm reduction.
Full article available here.