NY Physicians Reluctant To Prescribe Medical Marijuana As Alternative To Opioids For Chronic Pain.
Crain’s New York Business (1/29, Lewis) reports that although medical marijuana “offers an alternative to opioid drugs for treating chronic pain,” most physicians in New York “are still reluctant to embrace cannabis as a medical treatment.” According to Crain’s, “only 833 physicians, about 1% of the state’s total, are certified to prescribe the drug.” The article mentions that the Medical Society of the State of New York wrote a letter to the state Health Department in December that “called the plan to approve cannabis for treating chronic pain premature.
At His Branches Health Services we agree with the Medical Society of the State of New York for a number of reasons. “Marijuana” is a plant, not a medication, that has many psychoactive phytochemicals in it with varying actions, properties, and strengths. Some may have a beneficial effect on relieving pain but others alter consciousness and expose patients to mental health risks as well as impairing their ability to drive carefully and handle dangerous machinery. Before the active ingredient in marijuana that is beneficial in pain relief has been clearly isolated, carefully studied, and is available in a pure form with reliable dosing and instructions, its use should remain seriously limited.
