Ending an Epidemic: Chronic Pain and Cannabis, A Personal Story
The opioid epidemic is raging out of control; I’m here to tell you… there’s a solution.
According to the CDC, “the number of people who died from a drug overdose in 2021 was over six times the number in 1999. The number of drug overdose deaths increased by more than 16% from 2020 to 2021. Over 75% of the nearly 107,000 drug overdose deaths in 2021 involved an opioid.”
My husband could’ve easily been a part of these statistics.
A Perfect Storm for Pain
Like most men, my husband didn’t consider the consequences of his hell-raising youth. He took risks and put his body in jeopardy.
A typical midwestern boy in the ’80s and ’90s, he rode dirt bikes, he hunted, he fished, and he partied.
Then, as an adult, he spent much of his time in a grueling factory job where repetitive motion took its toll.
He had his first shoulder surgery in 2007, followed by ample prescriptions for opiates.
He had his second shoulder surgery in 2009, followed by more prescription opioids.
Then, in 2011, he had his cervical spine fused at C5–6–7, followed by, you guessed it — more opiates, and two weeks out of surgery, still in a neck brace, he…
