Paradigm shift: 3 in 4 believe natural remedies like cannabis are safer than prescriptions

NEW YORK — American perception towards prescription drugs and more natural health solutions appears to be undergoing a significant shift. According to a survey of 2,000 Americans, half have used a natural remedy to treat an ailment over prescription medication.

Furthermore, the survey, which was commissioned by Remedy Review, found that almost 75% of respondents believe natural remedies, including cannabis and marijuana products, are safer overall than prescription medications.

In all, 78% believe cannabis should be more widely available as a pain treatment. More specifically, 52% were in strong agreement with that statement, while 27% slightly agreed. Still, over 70% of respondents said there is a persistent negative stigma surrounding natural pain relief remedies, including medical cannabis. Another 78% of the respondents said they have used a natural remedy to treat an ailment at least once.

The study examined the reasons why people choose natural remedies as well. A significant 66% said these treatments were more affordable than prescription drugs, while 56% said they were easier to obtain. Here’s an interesting statistic: 50% said they used natural remedies because they didn’t want to become addicted to prescription medication.

The respondents were also asked to characterize the current state of opioid usage in the United States, and seven in 10 called it a “crisis.”

When asked if doctors should be legally responsible for overprescribing opioids and encouraging addiction, eight in ten respondents gave a resounding yes. But, the best way to fight the opioid crisis in the United States, according to 59% of the participants, is to increase regulations on drug companies and the manufacturers that make the opioids.

A few other popular options for fighting the opioid epidemic were legalizing both medical marijuana (55%) and recreational marijuana (43%). However, 79% of respondents also said they wanted more research performed on the medical properties and benefits of cannabis.

Overall, 69% of the respondents said they had used a product that contained cannabidiol (CBD) at least once in their lives, and 33% said they are currently using one. It is also worth noting that many respondents seemed to be a bit uninformed on CBD’s exact standing in the medical community. CBD is a legal substance, but it hasn’t been fully approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), as 46% of the survey respondents wrongly believed.

The study was conducted by OnePoll.

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