Former NFL Player Addicted to Opioids Says Marijuana Saved His Life
The player stated that the evidence of his transformation can be found in his home
With scientists around the world working overtime to develop a vaccine against the coronavirus, former NFL tackle Kyle Turley said that something already exists to help combat the pandemic.
"This is something that Cannabis has a way of solving," Turley told USA TODAY Sports, referring to what is more commonly known as marijuana. "The science behind it is real," he emphasized.
Turley, who said he has been smoking marijuana for 20 years and believes it saved his life, stated that marijuana stimulates the immune system and, at a certain level, should help minimize or prevent the disease.
"What are we going to do here? Are we going to quarantine or are we going to live? If you choose marijuana, I'm here to tell you that you will live."
A report from Reuters addressed the question of whether marijuana can affect the coronavirus. On social media, some claim that Cannabis can kill the virus, but there is no scientific evidence for this.
Reuters also mentioned the position of the American Lung Association that smoking marijuana can damage the lungs and possibly affect the immune system and its ability to fight diseases.
The story states that marijuana has proven beneficial in situations such as rare forms of epilepsy, nausea caused by cancer chemotherapy, and issues associated with HIV/AIDS, but not in relation to the coronavirus.
Turley said that Cannabis cured him of vertigo, seizures, light sensitivity, pain and numbness in his feet, and uncontrollable rage. Having returned to Southern California with his family about five years ago, the player stated that the evidence of his transformation can be found in his home.
"This is the first house I've lived in where I haven't broken a door, made a hole in the wall, thrown dishes, and lost my temper," he says.
He says that what affected him was a neurodegenerative disorder associated with repetitive head impacts and the opioids that NFL team doctors gave him to treat the symptoms.
"At the end of the day, I trust in God," he said. “I begged for my life. When you are addicted to opioids, you reach that point.”
Turley said that marijuana also cured his wife, Stacey, of skin cancer. And he said that the daily use of cannabidiol boosted the immune system of his two children, ages 9 and 11.
"It resolved my daughter's sleep disorder and my son's attention issues," Turley says. "And the doctors keep telling us that they are the healthiest kids they've ever seen and refuse to give them flu vaccines. They refuse because their immune system is too strong.”