AFL Richmond coach Hardwick’s medical cannabis relief for bad back

AFL Richmond coach Damien Hardwick has revealed he uses medical marijuana to battle a chronic health issue.

Damien Hardwick has revealed he uses medical marijuana to battle chronic back pain.

The Richmond coach has spoken for the first time about his use of the doctor-prescribed drug.

“I started taking medicinal cannabis about four months ago,” Hardwick said.

“It’s really made a difference for my pain and I’d recommend anybody dealing with chronic pain to talk about medicinal cannabis with their doctor.”

Hardwick said he did not like the side effects of other pain killers.

Richmond coach Damien Hardwick. Picture: Aaron Francis/Herald Sun

“I had an accident riding a bike with my son about 10 years ago and ever since then have suffered chronic back pain,” he said.

“I found it hard to exercise, and even sitting at my desk for long times was painful.”

More than 240,000 medical marijuana prescriptions have been written in Australia since it was first approved in 2016.

But the Therapeutic Goods Administration says “currently there is limited evidence about the effectiveness of medicinal cannabis for use in different medical conditions”.

“There is also little known about the most suitable doses of individual cannabis products,” the TGA website says.

Hardwick’s decision to go public with his medical cannabis use comes as he joins a Sports Advisory Board for Levin Health.

Former Australian basketballer Lauren Jackson is on the Sports Advisory Board for Levin Health. Picture: Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE/Getty Images/AFP

The Melbourne-based company also has former Hawthorn coach Alistair Clarkson, jockey Damien Oliver and former Australian basketballer Lauren Jackson on its advisory board.

Levin Health is backing a phase 2 medicinal cannabis trial, undertaken by La Trobe University, which will recruit between 92 and 114 patients from Victoria in June and July, with results expected in 2023.

The trial run will cost up to $2 million, with Levin’s approximately 130 shareholders picking up the bill, offset by a 43.5 per cent government research rebate.

Former AFL Coaches Association boss Mark Brayshaw, Levin Health’s managing director, said: “The medicinal cannabis formula we’ll use in the trial is protected by a patent, so it’s our own secret herbs and spices.”

The company was also planning a separate observational trial on whether medical cannabis would help people suffering from long-term concussion symptoms.

Medicinal cannabis.

AFL greats Danny Frawley, Shane Tuck and Polly Farmer were found to have been battling chronic traumatic encephalopathy – a disease linked to concussion – in autopsies after their deaths.

Mr Brayshaw said Frawley, who died in 2019, “was a good mate of mine” and he hoped that the studies may lead to answers.

Mr Brayshaw’s son Angus plays for Melbourne, but he almost quit football when he suffered four concussions in 2018.

Current AFL players are not allowed to use medical cannabis under World Anti-Doping Agency rules.

The global medical cannabis market was predicted to hit $250 billion by 2030, with the United States driving demand.

Originally published as AFL Richmond coach Hardwick’s medical cannabis relief for bad back