New York Knicks president Phil Jackson said on Tuesday he used medicinal marijuana to help cope with back pain. Jackson underwent back surgery when he played for the Knicks, missing the 1969-70 season championship season.
Phil Jackson also used marijuana while recovering from a back injury
Warriors coach Steve Kerr said he did for his back pain as well two summers ago, though both he and Jackson said it didn’t work for them.
Photo by Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images
He said he used it to act as a “distraction” from the pain, but never considered it medication.
“I don’t know about it’s medicinal ability,” Jackson said on CBS Sports Network’s We Need to Talk. “I had back surgery, and the year I was off, I was smoking marijuana during that period of time. I think it was a distraction for me as much as a pain reliever. But I’ve never thought of it as ultimately a pain medication for that type of situation. I know ocular things, stomach, digestive issues, and other things, I think it is regarded quite highly.
“We’re in a situation that’s in flux,” he continued. “We have states -- Washington, D.C., Colorado -- have legalized marijuana. Those are going to raise issues. We also have a testing regimen that we go through in the NBA, so we’re kind of in conflict with what is going to be the law. I see that as a matter of a decision that -- I don’t know if we can equate it to gay marriage or whatever else, but it’s a decision that’s going to be made by our population at some point.”
Jackson’s comments came days after Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr revealed he tried a similar technique to help relieve his own back pain.
During the summer of 2015, Kerr underwent two back surgeries, the second to help alleviate pain from the first. In his four-month absence, he said he used marijuana twice, but it was to no avail.
“(After) a lot of research, a lot of advice from people and I have no idea if maybe I would have failed a drug test,” Kerr said. “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.”
The league responded to Kerr’s admission with the following statement:
“All of our coaches are drug tested each season. Marijuana is included on our banned substances list. There are medical exceptions to our policy but, in this case, it’s not relevant because Steve said he did not find marijuana to be helpful in relieving his back pain.”
As states throughout the country continue to legalize marijuana, the league may need to revisit its policies. SB Nation’s Paul Flannery and Tom Ziller had an open conversation regarding the NBA’s posture on medical marijuana.
ZILLER: We also need to know more about how the league’s rules apply to chronic pain relief and I’d love to see, in the wake of Kerr’s comments, a big independent study of the league’s pain relief prescription practices.
The league office is smattered with old retired players with particularly achy joints. Surely there’s some interest in finding out how to protect players and the league while allowing the most effective, safe treatments possible.
FLANNERY: Yes, we need more studies. For many reasons beyond the scope of this conversation, funding for medical marijuana studies has been scarce. As it stands, most of the evidence in favor of or against medical marijuana is anecdotal. Many ordinary people have found it helpful. Kerr suggested that his attempt didn’t alleviate his pain. Neither is an absolute.
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