Lobel: Medical marijuana saved me from addiction

http://www.bostonherald.com/news_opinion/local_coverage/2015/10/lobel_medical_marijuana_saved_me_from_addiction



(Natick,MA 10/03/15) Natick resident and interview subject Bob Lobel displays two bottles of cannabis CBD on Saturday, October 03, 2015 at The Natick Town Green.

Lobel: Medical marijuana saved me from addiction
Sunday, October 4, 2015
Chris Villani

Boston sportscasting icon Bob Lobel is one of the hundreds of patients in Massachusetts who say they have found an effective substitute for opioids by using medicinal marijuana.

The 71-year-old longtime television reporter and anchor has dealt with chronic pain for years, the result of numerous surgeries: He’s had two knee replacements, two rotator cuff surgeries, four back surgeries and, in separate accidents, fractured the tops of both femurs.

“That was brutal,” Lobel told the Herald, referencing the femur breaks. The constant pain left him taking a variety of opioids.

“My issue was strictly pain,” he said. “I didn’t want to take any more OxyContin or oxycodone or Percocet, for a variety of reasons. The biggest thing I was worried about was addiction. But they also made me tired and it was hard to function and I couldn’t go on TV all drugged up.”