No, not really. Up until recently, healthcare professionals often viewed codeine as a less dangerous opioid due to its milder potency. However, a 2016 study published by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) examined the impact of codeine compared to that of a stronger opioid, morphine.
The study concluded that both opioids posed the same risks for developing substance abuse disorder and opioid addiction, and therefore codeine was no less dangerous than similar analgesics.