Kate Rosenberg-Douglas has been managing her chronic back pain with prescription opioids for about a decade. Now she’s written an op-ed about her experience relying on opioids for pain while they’re being condemned for causing addiction. Plus, Nafissa Thompson-Spires is the author behind the novel Heads of the Colored People. Her short story collection showcases black life in a way not often written about.
Since February, patients in Illinois have been able to swap their opioid prescriptions for marijuana. And many are doing just that.
On The 21st: When the focus is on the opioid crisis, where does that leave patients with chronic pain when it comes to treatment options? But first, we speak with the executive director of the NFL Players’ Association, DeMaurice Smith.
Roughly a third of all Americans live with chronic pain, and many of them become dependent on opioids prescribed to treat it. But there’s a growing consensus among pain experts that a low-tech approach focused on lifestyle changes can be more effective.
Across the country, states desperate to prevent opioid addiction are considering medical cannabis as a solution. In Illinois, where opioids have claimed nearly 11,000 lives over the past decade, the legislature may soon consider a measure that would allow patients with an opioid prescription get access to marijuana instead.
