I don’t know about pot helping opiod addiction, but I saw an interesting program on NatGeo in which a former opiate addict was saying that a particular hallucinogen from Africa did.
I cannot recall if it came from a root or a tree or a mushroom, but it apparently causes an unpleasant and even dangerous trip that somehow shuts off opiate withdrawal in addicts, even in heroin addicts.
This guy would administer this drug in controlled situations to addicts in Canada where the drug is not illegal, but was not able to do it here in America where it is illegal.
Apparently use of this hallucinogen is not without risk either.
My attitude on opiates is stay away from them unless you have absolutely no other choice but to use them in order to manage severe pain.
Don’t want to get addicted to opiates.
I’ve taken opiates for pain. I never had a problem. Imho, it depends on the person, not the drug.