I have had severe chronic pain for many years as well. I use opioids but for a very short duration. It is a huge pain to get off them when you take them for a while. Max dosage of medical marijuana (cbd and indica not sativa) and synthetic opioids like tramadol not used daily works best for me. Current political climate is a no no to all opiates which is why it's so hard to get them now and it is awful for those with lots of pain, but doctors really did prescribe them too much.