Steve Kerr tried marijuana for back pain, hopes NBA comes around

Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr admitted he’s tried marijuana to deal with his back pain, and hopes the NBA softens its stance on pot use.

Steve Kerr has been known as one of the NBA’s most down-to-earth coaches since he first entered the league in 2014. If his latest comments about marijuana use are any indication, he’ll continue to stay — as the kids would call it — “woke.”

On a CSN Bay Area podcast hosted by Monte Poole that was published Friday, the Golden State Warriors’ head coach said that he’s tried marijuana a few times over the last two years to deal with his chronic (pun intended) back pain.

“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,” he said.

Kerr missed the first 43 games of the 2015-16 NBA season after undergoing back surgery, taking an indefinite leave from the team just two days into training camp.

The pain was so severe that it kept Kerr from his regular duties until January, when he took over for assistant coach Luke Walton again. That’s probably not surprising considering his spinal fluid was leaking.

“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 says using marijuana didn’t help him, but went on to say he hopes the NBA softens its stance on marijuana use.

According to Kerr, it’s a better alternative to the painkillers like Vicodin that players are given today to deal with aches and pains.

“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,” he 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.

“You’re seeing that change in these laws that you’re talking about in different states, including California. But I would just hope that sports leagues are able to look past the perception. I’m sure the NFL is worried that their fans are going to go, ‘All the players are potheads.'”

With more and more states legalizing marijuana, this will probably be one of those issues we look back on in 20 years and laugh about.

For now, however, it’s also understandable why the NBA and NFL would take such strong stances against the recreational use of marijuana, since the drug still carries that “pothead” stigma. It’s in the best interests of these organizations that their players use as little as possible when the regular season is in progress to remain in peak condition and not give off the wrong perception.

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However, when it comes to dealing with pain, it’s a much easier and safer avenue for many athletes, as long as it’s used responsibly.

It’s a lot like alcohol: Everything in moderation, but at the same time, world class athletes have to be careful about what they’re putting into their bodies so the quality of the game stays high (pun intended). In the meantime, can we just appreciate that it would be the NBA coach of a team in California to advocate for marijuana use?