{"componentChunkName":"component---common-build-tags-template-js","path":"/tag/study/2","result":{"data":{"allArticle":{"edges":[{"node":{"id":"Article_2287-markdown","title":"HelloMD and UC Berkeley Release Study on Cannabis Use as a Substitute for Opioid and Non-Opioid Based Pain Medication","slug":"hellomd-and-uc-berkeley-release-study-on-cannabis-use-as-a-substitute-for-opioid-and-non-opioid-based-pain-medication","content":"### Study Introduction\r\n\r\nImportant news for the fight against opioid addiction was announced yesterday, [sharing the results of a landmark new study by HelloMD and UC Berkeley](http://online.liebertpub.com/doi/full/10.1089/can.2017.0012), that shows the overwhelming majority of cannabis patients (92%) prefer using cannabis to opioids when managing their chronic pain.  These results may not be surprising to some, but the significant findings take us one big step closer to showing doctors, healthcare professionals, and other stakeholders the potential for cannabis to alleviate the opioid crisis our nation is experiencing.  \r\n\r\n[VIEW HELLOMD & UC BERKELEY STUDY RESULTS](http://online.liebertpub.com/doi/full/10.1089/can.2017.0012) \r\n\r\n[View the HelloMD Press Release Regarding Landmark Study](http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/uc-berkeley-and-hellomd-release-study-on-cannabis-use-as-a-substitute-for-opiate-and-non-opiate-based-pain-medication-300481006.html)\r\n\r\n### The Opioid Crisis\r\n\r\nDeaths from opioid overdoses have been on an exponential rise since 1999, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.  Their latest report released in February showed more than 183,000 Americans have died from overdoses related to prescription opioids in the last 16 years, with 91 Americans dying each day.  This number is even larger when we include deaths due to heroin overdose, which caused nearly 13,000 in 2015 alone.  According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), nearly half of young people who inject heroin abused prescription opioids first. \r\n\r\n![](https://hellomd-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/595413ae914ae4001b40307a/embedded_images/595413af914ae4001b40307b/Screen_Shot_2017-06-28_at_1.14.20_PM.png) \r\n\r\nResearchers have already noticed a decline in overdose-related deaths in states where cannabis is medically legal, and the evidence will continue to build as time goes on.  A study published last July by Health Affairs found that a typical physician in a state where medical cannabis is legal prescribed 1,826 fewer painkiller doses in a given year for Medicare patients because seniors chose to treat their pain with medical cannabis.  Researcher and cannabis policy maker Amanda Reiman states, “the treatment of pain has become a politicized business in the United States. The result has been the rapidly rising rate of opioid related overdoses and dependence.”\r\n\r\n### Cannabis Effectively Treats Chronic Pain\r\n\r\nThis past year UC Berkeley partnered with HelloMD to conduct the largest patient survey ever exploring the use of cannabis as a substitute for opiate and non-opiate based pain medication.  The significant results support the views that cannabis can and should be considered the primary option for managing chronic pain due to its safety and efficacy.  \r\n\r\n![](https://hellomd-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/595413ae914ae4001b40307a/embedded_images/595413b1914ae4001b40307c/Screen_Shot_2017-06-28_at_1.37.04_PM.png) \r\n\r\nThe study was led by a trio of experts in their field:  Amanda Reiman PhD, MSW, of UC Berkeley and the Drug Policy Alliance, Perry Solomon, MD, the Chief Medical Officer of HelloMD, and Mark A. Welty PhD, NCC, LPCC-S, LSW, of Kent State University.   With access to HelloMD’s patient database they were able to mine data from the nation’s largest community of medical cannabis patients.  Surveys were sent out to HelloMD’s entire patient database, and data was collected from close to 3,000 participants.  Patients were asked about their usage of cannabis and how it affected their consumption of opioids. Among the key findings, the study found: \r\n\r\n>* 97% “strongly agreed/agreed” that they could decrease their opioid use when using cannabis\r\n>* 92% “strongly agreed/agreed” that they prefer cannabis to treat their medical condition\r\n>* 81% “strongly agreed/agreed” that cannabis by itself was more effective than taking cannabis with opioids.  The results were similar when using cannabis with non-opiate based pain medications. \r\n\r\n\r\n“The results of our study were striking, showing 97% of people were able to decrease the amount of opioids that they used in conjunction with cannabis use. This was more than double the amount shown in any previous studies conducted,” said Dr. Perry Solomon.  “The latest publication from the National Academy of Sciences clearly showed that chronic pain is one of the medical conditions that cannabis can be used for with great efficacy. Our study not only supports this but also goes further in that the clear majority of patient’s state that they prefer it. Hopefully this will awaken the public, medical professionals and legislatures to the fact that there is a safe, non-addictive product available to help fight the opioid epidemic, and that is cannabis.”\r\n\r\nAmanda Reiman adds, “Cannabis has been used throughout the world for thousands of years to treat pain and other physical and mental health conditions.  Patients have been telling us for decades that this practice is producing better outcomes than the use of opioid based medications. It’s past time for the medical profession to get over their reefer madness and start working with the medical cannabis movement and industry to slow down the destruction being caused by the over prescribing and overuse of opioids.”\r\n\r\n[VIEW HELLOMD & UC BERKELEY STUDY RESULTS](http://online.liebertpub.com/doi/full/10.1089/can.2017.0012) \r\n\r\n[View the HelloMD Press Release Regarding Landmark Study](http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/uc-berkeley-and-hellomd-release-study-on-cannabis-use-as-a-substitute-for-opiate-and-non-opiate-based-pain-medication-300481006.html)","image":{"childImageSharp":{"fluid":{"base64":"data:image/jpeg;base64,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","aspectRatio":1.3333333333333333,"src":"/static/a5038c6ae75a18298644e4d11ad85f06/14b42/ad1f9129192d77fd1c356a133b9cbe7d.jpg","srcSet":"/static/a5038c6ae75a18298644e4d11ad85f06/f836f/ad1f9129192d77fd1c356a133b9cbe7d.jpg 200w,\n/static/a5038c6ae75a18298644e4d11ad85f06/2244e/ad1f9129192d77fd1c356a133b9cbe7d.jpg 400w,\n/static/a5038c6ae75a18298644e4d11ad85f06/14b42/ad1f9129192d77fd1c356a133b9cbe7d.jpg 800w,\n/static/a5038c6ae75a18298644e4d11ad85f06/47498/ad1f9129192d77fd1c356a133b9cbe7d.jpg 1200w,\n/static/a5038c6ae75a18298644e4d11ad85f06/54ac5/ad1f9129192d77fd1c356a133b9cbe7d.jpg 1365w","srcWebp":"/static/a5038c6ae75a18298644e4d11ad85f06/58556/ad1f9129192d77fd1c356a133b9cbe7d.webp","srcSetWebp":"/static/a5038c6ae75a18298644e4d11ad85f06/61e93/ad1f9129192d77fd1c356a133b9cbe7d.webp 200w,\n/static/a5038c6ae75a18298644e4d11ad85f06/1f5c5/ad1f9129192d77fd1c356a133b9cbe7d.webp 400w,\n/static/a5038c6ae75a18298644e4d11ad85f06/58556/ad1f9129192d77fd1c356a133b9cbe7d.webp 800w,\n/static/a5038c6ae75a18298644e4d11ad85f06/99238/ad1f9129192d77fd1c356a133b9cbe7d.webp 1200w,\n/static/a5038c6ae75a18298644e4d11ad85f06/5e0b8/ad1f9129192d77fd1c356a133b9cbe7d.webp 1365w","sizes":"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px"}}}}},{"node":{"id":"Article_2049-markdown","title":"HelloMD & UC Berkeley to Conduct Largest Study on Cannabis, Pain & Opioid Abuse","slug":"hellomd-and-uc-berkeley-to-conduct-largest-study-on-cannabis-pain-and-opioid-abuse","content":"The statistics are staggering: \n\n* Overdose deaths involving prescription opioids quadrupled since 1999. \n* From 1999-2014, more than 165,000 people in the U.S. died from overdoses related to prescription opioids. \n* In 2014, 18,893 people died from opioid overdoses.\n\nOpioid abuse touches every corner of this country—the soccer mom who started taking Xanax to help get her through the day, the grandfather next door who had his knee replaced, the high school cheer captain who injured her back and was prescribed Vicodin for the pain, the teen who was warned against drinking and found an alternative in his mother’s medicine cabinet. Opioid abuse is color blind; it knows no race, religion, age, gender or social class. It wears a million faces. \n\nFOLLOW US ON [FACEBOOK](https://www.facebook.com/pg/hellomdcompany/posts/) & [INSTAGRAM](https://www.instagram.com/hellomd_com/?hl=en)\n\n### HelloMD Joins UC Berkeley to Conduct Study\n\nWith the guidance of the University of California, Berkeley, we’re following up on our landmark [Medical Marijuana Patient Survey Results](https://www.hellomd.com/health-wellness/56b53cff3e9cd700080000ef/download-our-medical-marijuana-patient-study) with this—the largest patient survey ever performed concerning cannabis, pain and opioid use. We’ll ask approximately 100,000 patients questions regarding cannabis and how it affects their use of opioids.\n\nThe study will be led by:\n\n* [Amanda Reiman, PhD, MSW](http://www.medicalcannabis.com/about/faculty/amanda-reiman/), lecturer in the School of Social Welfare at UC Berkeley and manager of Marijuana Law and Policy for the Drug Policy Alliance\n* [Perry Solomon, MD](https://www.linkedin.com/in/perry-solomon-md-2b27a65), HelloMD’s chief medical officer\n* [Mark A. Welty, PhD, NCC, LPCC-S, LSW](http://advancedcounselingsolutions.com/aboutus.html#Welty), Kent State University, Adjunct Faculty; Welty Counseling and Consulting CEO; The Village Network, director of research and innovation; The Ohio Patient Network, board of directors\n* [Chris Janson, PhD](https://www.unf.edu/bio/N00607194/), chair, associate professor, Department of Leadership, School Counseling, & Sport Management, University of North Florida.\n\n### How Does Cannabis Affect Opioid Use?\n\nTogether, we hope to better understand how and why increasingly more people are dependent on opioids and how cannabis may affect people’s use of opioids. \n\nRELATED: [MARIJUANA EFFECTIVELY CONTROLS CHRONIC PAIN](https://www.hellomd.com/health-wellness/598f893156ef1d0031b26cb0/new-research-proves-marijuana-effectively-controls-chronic-pain)\n\nHelloMD is taking a step to help loosen the grip that opioid addiction holds on our country, while hoping to shatter the stigma and shame that often accompanies this dependence. The results of these findings will be available to the public during the first quarter of 2017.\n\nIf you’re new to cannabis and want to learn more, take a look at our [Cannabis 101](https://www.hellomd.com/health-wellness/cannabis-101-your-quick-guide-to-medical-marijuana) post. [HelloMD](https://www.hellomd.com/) can help you get your medical marijuana recommendation; it's easy, private and 100% online.  ","image":{"childImageSharp":{"fluid":{"base64":"data:image/jpeg;base64,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","aspectRatio":1.3333333333333333,"src":"/static/1c09475f0c1b6a11988f5331d62b7932/7d509/e6aa4027a8f2fde2dff583fedb9e7c0f.jpg","srcSet":"/static/1c09475f0c1b6a11988f5331d62b7932/f836f/e6aa4027a8f2fde2dff583fedb9e7c0f.jpg 200w,\n/static/1c09475f0c1b6a11988f5331d62b7932/2244e/e6aa4027a8f2fde2dff583fedb9e7c0f.jpg 400w,\n/static/1c09475f0c1b6a11988f5331d62b7932/7d509/e6aa4027a8f2fde2dff583fedb9e7c0f.jpg 720w","srcWebp":"/static/1c09475f0c1b6a11988f5331d62b7932/2aa8d/e6aa4027a8f2fde2dff583fedb9e7c0f.webp","srcSetWebp":"/static/1c09475f0c1b6a11988f5331d62b7932/61e93/e6aa4027a8f2fde2dff583fedb9e7c0f.webp 200w,\n/static/1c09475f0c1b6a11988f5331d62b7932/1f5c5/e6aa4027a8f2fde2dff583fedb9e7c0f.webp 400w,\n/static/1c09475f0c1b6a11988f5331d62b7932/2aa8d/e6aa4027a8f2fde2dff583fedb9e7c0f.webp 720w","sizes":"(max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px"}}}}},{"node":{"id":"Article_2053-markdown","title":"Download our Medical Marijuana Patient Study","slug":"download-our-medical-marijuana-patient-study","content":"For us at HelloMD, the medical cannabis industry is an exciting and fascinating business to be in. Every day we leave the office knowing that we are improving people's lives and helping further the cause for mainstream acceptance of this amazing plant.  In the short time since we’ve been providing our service (one year) we’ve witnessed a positive shift in how the broader population perceive the legal cannabis market. The collective contribution of the industry has performed a remarkable feat in changing attitudes and in moving us from back-alley to the main street.\r\n\r\nWe have come far. Yet, for anyone entering the industry, indeed for anyone in it, it can still be difficult finding information to help plan and grow a business. Very little is published indicating patient preferences, methods of use, reasons for use, etc. Most in the industry are planning products and services based upon small sample sets of anecdotal data and intuition. Not that there is anything wrong with that. After all, we did that. But if that’s all you’ve got, then it’s really difficult to identify trends and to plan ahead. \r\n\r\nThat is why, in January of this year, we conducted a detailed study of patients that use medical marijuana. \r\n\r\n[Download the medical marijuana patient study here](https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/hellomd-news/HelloMD_Medical_Marijuana_Patient_Survey.pdf).\r\n\r\nWe believe it to be the most comprehensive study to date and we are very pleased to share it with the community at large. Our methodology included surveying our membership of 17,000 patients (all of whom have been evaluated by our own doctors), correlating with other data sets (public and private), analyzing, and then using the results to form key findings. Thanks to our friends at [FireFly](http://www.thefirefly.com) (of whom generously donated 5 of their beautiful vaporizers as an incentive to participants) we had an exceptional response of over 1,400 patients. Anonymously, every one of them answered an extensive questionnaire that detailed their own experience and details regarding conditions leading to use, modes of use, efficacy, and much more.\r\n\r\nAll this data led to key findings and learning's that helped us understand:  \r\n\r\n - The demographic of patients using medical marijuana today, and how it has been changing overtime\r\n - Conditions being treating with medical cannabis\r\n - How effective cannabis is as a treatment modality\r\n - How patients feel about using cannabis as an alternative, or as a compliment, to other more-traditional prescribed pharmaceuticals\r\n - How, or if, patients talk about their use of cannabis among family, friends and colleagues.\r\n - Where medical cannabis purchases are made\r\n - Where patients obtain education and knowledge of medical cannabis\r\n\r\nPerhaps the most surprising finding; an emerging demographic that, indisputably, is eclipsing the recreational demographic. This has all sorts of implications – politically and otherwise.\r\n\r\nWe have compiled all findings into a report that can be [downloaded as a PDF here](https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/hellomd-news/HelloMD_Medical_Marijuana_Patient_Survey.pdf).","image":{"childImageSharp":{"fluid":{"base64":"data:image/jpeg;base64,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","aspectRatio":1.5151515151515151,"src":"/static/e8673bbdb39b8593fd7a7da80b6c7825/14b42/38cff30a6e1ef5b926d055a399eae91d.jpg","srcSet":"/static/e8673bbdb39b8593fd7a7da80b6c7825/f836f/38cff30a6e1ef5b926d055a399eae91d.jpg 200w,\n/static/e8673bbdb39b8593fd7a7da80b6c7825/2244e/38cff30a6e1ef5b926d055a399eae91d.jpg 400w,\n/static/e8673bbdb39b8593fd7a7da80b6c7825/14b42/38cff30a6e1ef5b926d055a399eae91d.jpg 800w,\n/static/e8673bbdb39b8593fd7a7da80b6c7825/47498/38cff30a6e1ef5b926d055a399eae91d.jpg 1200w","srcWebp":"/static/e8673bbdb39b8593fd7a7da80b6c7825/58556/38cff30a6e1ef5b926d055a399eae91d.webp","srcSetWebp":"/static/e8673bbdb39b8593fd7a7da80b6c7825/61e93/38cff30a6e1ef5b926d055a399eae91d.webp 200w,\n/static/e8673bbdb39b8593fd7a7da80b6c7825/1f5c5/38cff30a6e1ef5b926d055a399eae91d.webp 400w,\n/static/e8673bbdb39b8593fd7a7da80b6c7825/58556/38cff30a6e1ef5b926d055a399eae91d.webp 800w,\n/static/e8673bbdb39b8593fd7a7da80b6c7825/99238/38cff30a6e1ef5b926d055a399eae91d.webp 1200w","sizes":"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px"}}}}}]}},"pageContext":{"limit":12,"skip":12,"numPages":2,"currentPage":2,"id":5789,"name":"Study","slug":"study","country":"US"}},"staticQueryHashes":["3949754563","4179947113","4202924991"]}