How medicinal cannabis changed everything for Newcastle NRL legend Andrew Johns post-retirement

NRL Immortal Andrew Johns life ‘was not in a good way’, before being introduced to medicinal cannabis – which has changed his life.

Medicinal cannabis expert, Dr James Stewart, works with Johns and a number of other high-profile athletes who have benefitted enormously since taking medicinal cannabis after retiring from elite sport.

He told the Daily Mail Australia that Johns’ mind and body struggled post-retirement, after 304 matches at the top level that saw multiple concussion and a serious neck injury.

‘He was getting brain fog, he was forgetting things, he could hardly surf each day because of his neck pain and headaches,’ Dr Stewart told the Daily Mail Australia of John’s post-footy struggles.

‘He was having a seizure a couple of times every sort of month or two, which is very dangerous for someone who loves to surf. He was not in a good way.

‘And then he started on it (medicinal cannabis) and he hasn’t had a seizure since. He texts me every week saying thank you, mate. It’s unbelievable, it’s saved my life,’ said Dr Stewart. 

Johns revealed last month the huge affect medicinal cannabis has had not just on his chronic pain, but on his overall wellbeing and mental state.

‘I have been taking medicinal cannabis for 18 months now as well as the medication I’m taking … and am seizure-free,’ Johns told the Sunday Telegraph. 

He said he had been forced to rely on sleeping pills and anti-inflammatory tablets, particularly for back and neck pain, for almost 30 years – but medicinal cannabis had reversed that need. 

‘I can go to the park now and kick the footy. I can jog. I hadn’t run for 10 years. It is so nice to run around and play with the kids,’ Johns said of the ways his life has been transformed since taking medicinal cannabis.

‘Obviously after coming home from calling footy, I would be wired. I used to have sleeping tablets to put me to sleep, but I haven’t had a sleeping tablet in those 18 months.

‘I read a lot but sometimes my mind can wander. Now my concentration is better. And my partner Kate says I am calmer,’ said Johns.

Johns, who has been in a long-term relationship with yoga instructor Kate Kendall since 2016, has three children and currently works as a footy analyst for Channel 9’s NRL coverage.

The Newcastle Knights legend suffered multiple concussions, a bulging disc in his neck and multiple other serious injuries during his storied NRL career in addition to being diagnosed with bipolar disorder.

He admitted in one of sport’s most explosive interviews that he’d used drugs during his career, and was arrested for ecstasy possession at an underground railway station in London in 2007. 

Now the drug he is using is both legal, and life-changing. 

With head injuries, concussion trauma and the effects retired footy players face from them squarely in the spotlight, medicinal cannabis is now putting it’s hand up as a safe treatment that can give players quality of life back. 

‘There is really good evidence coming out that medicinal cannabis will help post-concussion syndrome that (some of) our footy players have,’ Dr Stewart said, something Johns himself has suffered from.

‘Post-concussion syndrome and CTE (Chronic traumatic encephalopathy) are subtle. You don’t realise on the outside, but inside it’s cloudy and you can’t think rational thoughts.’ 

Medicinal cannabis is not allowed to be taken by current athletes, unless a Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE) is ticked off by sporting drug body WADA. 

Times might be changing, though, given Johns and other high-profile sporting figures like Lauren Jackson, Damien Hardwick, Alastair Clarkson and Damien Oliver have been vocal about the huge benefits they’ve had. 

‘I think the sporting bodies are coming around now because they are seeing old players now coming out, and a lot of the people on the board of the sport are old players themselves,’ Dr Stewart said when asked whether medicinal cannabis may soon play a role with current players.

‘They (footy players) are always guzzling anti-inflammatories, giving their gut grief and all kinds of stuff; but now I think they’re seeing the benefits of that medicinal cannabis has. 

‘With Andrew Johns and all these other guys coming out as well, I think now this is something we could do to protect our players and also prolong some retirements,’ said Dr Stewart.

Johns joined the Sports Advisory Board at leading sports science company Levin Health earlier this year to help address the broader issue of chronic pain from sport and also the stigma surrounding medicinal cannabis. 

Dr Stewart is one of the medical advisors at the company, with legendary AFL coaches Damien Hardwick and Alastair Clarkson also fierce advocates for medicinal cannabis, with Aussie basketball legend Lauren Jackson and champion jockey Damien Oliver also on the board.

Jackson, who is making a remarkable basketball comeback to the Aussie aged 41, backed up Johns’ comments on the good benefits medicinal cannabis has given him.

‘I only made my return to the court just in April earlier this year and my treatment plan prior to playing again with medicinal cannabis plays a large part in my recovery from chronic pain,’ she said earlier this month.

‘I had finished playing basketball with painful ankles and was able to obtain a prescription through my doctor, which saw my ankles feel much better and allow me to gain more movement back to do more of the things I love.’