Reference
Carlini. B. (2018). Role of Medicinal Cannabis as a Substitute for Opioids in Control of Chronic Pain. Alcohol and drug institute. Retrieved from http://adai.uw.edu/pubs/pdf/2018cannabissubstituteforopioids.pdf
Reason for selecting the article
The article is important for my interest because it addresses a critical question regarding the role of medical marijuana and its effectiveness in reducing pain. It is important because it addresses the debate on whether cannabis can effectively serve as a substitute for the use of opioid medications in controlling chronic pain and address the concern of a heightened number of deaths caused by opioid overdose. It recommends further studies with stronger research design to determine whether cannabis can replace opioid as a chronic pain reduction drug.
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Statement of the problem
Carlini (2018) notes that recovery professionals are not fully convinced by the assertions regarding the effectiveness of medical cannabis as a substitute for opioid in reducing pain. There is a serious level of scepticism prompted by the U.S Administration by regarding cannabis as having similar effects to opiates in chronic pain reduction. The study responds to findings by the Commission on Combating Drug Addiction and the Opioid Crisis set by President Donald J. Trump and claims that cannabis can serve as a substitute for opiates.
Research approach
The study presents an analysis of available information and data regarding the effectiveness of cannabis as used in chronic pain reduction. In the study, it is notable that while there are results from well-controlled clinical trials in support of the use of cannabis in pain treatment, there is limited information regarding the levels of its efficacy, the dose, its routes of administrations, and the potential side effects.
Literature Review
The main literature reviewed is the report by the Commission on Combating Drug Addiction and the Opioid. The report was based on twenty-eight randomized clinical trials that demonstrate the effectiveness of cannabinoid agents as effective to the control of chronic pain. However, Carlini (2018) notes that the randomized trials on which the commission’s report was based did not use marijuana products that are legally available for purchase in the U.S as approved for the control of chronic pain.
Variables
There are no variables used in the study. The study is an analysis of randomized clinical studies on the effectiveness of cannabis in chronic pain reduction. It is an exploration of past studies regarding the effectiveness of using cannabis to control acute pain in patients. The study is does not adopt an experimental design that demands the measurement of variables. It is an exploratory study that is highly dependent on review of other studies.
Sampling
The study reviewed a sample of 28 randomized clinical studies that investigated the effectiveness of cannabis in chronic pain reduction. The sampling frame was a list of past studies conducted on the effectiveness of using cannabis as chronic pain control measure and its effectiveness compared to using opioids. The sampled studies did not suffice a conclusion regarding the effectives of cannabis in controlling acute pain.
Study design
The study is conducted mainly through a review of existing clinical trials and their results. Information regarding their results and the opioids used in the experiment is analyzed. A proper investigation of the clinical trials is conducted to determine if they provide sufficient information that warrants to inform decisions on the effectiveness of cannabis in controlling chronic pain.
Data collection
Data collected was on the results of previous studies conducted on the effectiveness of cannabis in chronic pain reduction. Data was collected on the sampling procedures used in the different studies. The results of past studies was of critical interest to the research. It is notable that data was collected regarding which cannabis drugs were used in the various studies explored.
Data analysis
Analysis of data was based on the results of previous studies on cannabis use to control chronic pain. An analysis of the results from the 28 studies sampled was important to make inference in this study. Analysis of data from the past studies is important to help determine the effectiveness of cannabis in addressing acute pain and as a substitute of the opioid.
Ethical issues
There are no violations of ethical issues in the study. The study does not use human subjects and experiments that nee approvals. There were no concerns of violations of ethical principles because the study does not adopt an experimental design. It did not use any human subjects in experiment and, therefore, does not raise ethical concerns.
Human diversity issues
There are no concerns regarding human diversity in the study. Human subjects were not used in the study because it did not adopt the experimental design. The study does not depict any bias in human diversity concerns.
Limitations of the study
Variations in the sample sizes of research studies that are analyzed and the measures is a critical limitation to this study. It does no result in a conclusive analysis of the results. It is subject to the accuracy of past studies explored and, therefore, its validity is not determined.
Conclusions and recommendations
The study recommends further studies regarding the effectiveness of cannabis as used on chronic pain reduction. Carlini (2018) recommends that more studies should be conducted with the application of strong research design to ascertain if cannabis use can substitute the opioid in controlling chronic pain.
