Steve Kerr says he used marijuana for back pain, hopes leagues soften stance
Chris Haynes
12/2/16
OAKLAND, Calif. -- Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr said on a CSN Bay Area podcast published Friday that he used marijuana for back pain he experienced the past two years.
"I guess maybe I could even get in some trouble for this, but I've actually tried [marijuana] twice during the last year and a half when I've been going through this pain, this chronic pain that I've been dealing with," Kerr told host Monte Poole.
"A lot of research, a lot of advice from people, and I have no idea if I would -- maybe I would have failed a drug test. I don't even know if I'm subject to a drug test or any laws from the NBA, but I tried it, and it didn't help at all. But it was worth it, because I'm searching for answers on pain. But I've tried painkillers and drugs of other kinds, as well, and those have been worse. It's tricky."
Kerr underwent two back surgeries last year, causing him to miss nearly the first half of the 2015-16 campaign, and complications caused him continuing discomfort.
The reigning NBA coach of the year went on to say in the podcast that he hopes professional sports league soften their stances on marijuana use, believing it is a better alternative to what players are being handed for pain today.
"I would hope so, and I'm not a pot person. It doesn't agree with me. I tried it a few times, and it did not agree with me at all. So I'm not the expert on this stuff. But I do know this: If you're an NFL player, in particular, and you got lot of pain, I don't think there's any question that pot is better for your body than Vicodin," Kerr, 51, said. "And yet, athletes everywhere are prescribed Vicodin like it's Vitamin C, like it's no big deal. And there's like this perception in our country that over-the-counter drugs are fine but pot is bad. Now, I think that's changing.
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