Cannabis Treatment: A Holistic Approach to Addiction Recovery

I’ve talked a lot about opiate addiction on this program, and for good reason. Opiates are the most common drugs prescribed for pain, which is one of the most common ailments known to human kind. In fact, two million Americans are addicted to opioid pain killers. Every day in the U.S., 78 people die because of an opioid overdose. The statistics are tragic, especially considering the number of studies that have proven that cannabis not only addresses pain, it also helps to curb addiction to pain killers and alleviates the suffering that comes with the withdrawals. Despite all we know, the medical establishment has been slow to embrace cannabis treatment as a viable alternative.

Conventional treatment of addiction is not easy. There’s usually only one way out – and that is through… Through withdrawals. Through abstinence. Through counseling. Through treatment. It takes determination and guidance, which often comes in the form of institutional treatment centers. Despite the fact that cannabis treatment is helping people overcome addiction and cope with the emotional stress often associated with it, seldom will rehab facilities allow addicts to consume another mind-altering drug as a means of ending addiction. Patients are subjected to drug tests and when they fail, they’re deemed a recovery failure and often lose insurance benefits paying for treatment. In mandated addiction recovery programs in an institutional setting, cannabis treatment is just not an option.

In part, that can be attributed to federal laws barring controlled substances. However, it also boils down to perceptions about marijuana and the lack of awareness in the medical community. Either way, there is a growing demand for a more holistic approach to addiction recovery. Fortunately, our guests today are implementing cannabis treatment into a new addiction recovery practice.

Before I introduce them, our medical expert Dr. Bryan Doner has our Medical Marijuana Minute update. Of course, we offer thanks to our producer, Windy West, the composer of our theme song “Evergreen” Erik Godal, and our show sponsors, HempMeds.com and Zephyr Labs. As always, we are grateful for their support!

Dr. Gina Berman was an E.R. physician at a Phoenix-area hospital for close to a decade, where she treated trauma patients, “drug-seekers” and everything in between. Frustrated by the adverse effects of highly addictive opioids administered too often for pain, Gina hung up her stethoscope to explore her true passion: alternative therapies, including cannabis treatment. She partnered with Lilach Power as a co-founder of The Giving Tree Wellness Center and is in the process of launching a holistic treatment center called Blue Door.

Lilach Mazor Power served as a sergeant in the Israeli Air Force and spearheaded the formation of the biochemical department at The Giving Tree. Under her leadership, the department implemented a proprietary extraction method free of alcohols or hydrocarbons. She also oversees all employees and services. Lilac is frequently asked to speak at events and will be speaking at the World Medical Marijuana Business Conference & Expo in Pittsburgh, PA hosted by Compassionate Certification Centers in April of 2017.