Cannabis is the perfect medicine for athletes," says retired NFL offensive lineman Eben Britton over the phone, stating matter-of-factly what's still, generally, considered taboo. (In the world of modern cannabis advocacy, you're never talking about "weed," "pot," "marijuana," or [insert slang term here]. It's cannabis.)

"This is not some back-alley street drug," he continues. "It's a medicinal herb that provides the only potential solution to both concussions/CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy) and the opiate epidemic."

That hypothesis is the impetus behind Athletes For Care, a new nonprofit of which Britton—alongside 26 other athletes from the NFL, NBA, NHL and UFC—is a founding member. The organization is dedicated to promoting a holistic, alternative approach to athlete wellness, both for those still playing and retirees. Cannabis is but one part of the wellness package—albeit an important one.

Although psychiatrists typically are not the primary prescribers of opioid medications, they often treat psychiatric disorders in patients with chronic pain who take prescription opioids.

A recent study found that, despite representing only 16% of the adult population, adults with mental health disorders receive more than one-half of all opioid prescriptions distributed each year in the United States. Therefore, psychiatrists must be aware of risk assessment strategies for patients receiving opioids.

This article provides recommendations for managing individuals with opioid use disorder, including:

• how to identify risk factors for opioid use disorder and use screening tools
• how to evaluate a patient with suspected opioid use disorder and make the diagnosis
• how to treat a patient with opioid use disorder, including a review of approved pharmaceutical agents.