Marijuana May Help Solve the Opioid Crisis
The opioid crisis is a complex problem with many components, one of which is untreated pain. To the extent that it could be used to help patients manage pain, marijuana might have the potential to become part of the solution.
However, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has made it difficult — although not impossible — for researchers to responsibly explore marijuana’s use in treating pain. Since 1970, the DEA has categorized marijuana as a Schedule I drug “with no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse.”