Addiction spectre in painkillers ‘epidemic’
Grayson Hart knows first hand the dangers of opioid addiction, and just how prevalent it is in professional sports. It put him on the road to a dark place.
A degenerative knee injury had, until recently, been something the former Blues halfback had to battle through every week just to stay on the field.
Team doctors gave the nephew of former All Blacks coach John Hart painkillers to help him cope, inadvertently replacing physical pain with mental stresses.
It’s common practice, and medication such as Tramadol is often handed out to athletes ‘‘like lollies’’, Hart said.
Tramadol is an opioid used to treat moderate pain. It is less habit-forming than other prescription opioids, but users can still develop an addiction.
It wasn’t until recently that the one-time New Zealand under20s star, who also played international rugby for Scotland, was able to admit he was so dependant on pain medication it became a daily ritual.
And as his tolerance to the opiods went up, so too did the doses.
Synthetic opioids such as fentanyl, and pain relievers are available legally by prescription. The broader family contains oxycodone, hydrocodone, codeine, morphine and heroin.
‘‘It got pretty bad, yeah,’’ Hart told the Sunday Star-Times.
‘‘It even became a bit of a fun thing to do, pop a few and kick back on the couch and get a bit of a buzz.
‘‘Honestly I wasn’t too bad compared to some guys, I was definitely on the road to a dark place, though. It’s really somewhat of an epidemic.
‘‘I knew that, so [I] started looking for an alternative.’’
That’s when the 31-year-old launched a new Cannabidiol (CBD) company in the UK called Pure Sport CBD..
It is a natural alternative to opioids derived from cannabis plants, to help athletes deal with pain and inflammation without the addictive properties..
And it has already received glowing endorsements from repeat customers such as former All Blacks Liam Messam, Jerome Kaino, Colin Slade and Victor Vito.
His company launched last year with plans to one day bring it to New Zealand to help local athletes overcome addiction and manage injury.
CBD oil is legal under the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) regimes, but its marketing remains regulated.
Hart’s company was the first CBD brand to be certified by the Banned Substances Control Group, but like anything with cannabis attached to it, it can be a tough sell.
‘‘I get why players hesitate at first, I certainly did,’’ Hart said.
‘‘When I first started researching alternative pain reliefs [in 2017] I was very hesitant to try anything associated with cannabis.
‘‘As professional athletes we are constantly tested, I didn’t want to be caught with anything dodgy in my system. And growing up there’s a real stigma around cannabis.’’
It wasn’t until Hart saw first hand the plant’s potential medicinal properties, that he began to open his mind to CBD.
‘‘My old man had cancer, and the only thing that really helped him with the pain was smoking cannabis,’’ he said.
‘‘That was the first time I remember thinking ‘maybe there is something to this’. And then I went all in on getting as much information as I could.’’
The oil Hart’s company uses is tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, free. THC, the psychoactive element in cannabis, is illegal.
It took months to find the right supplier – the CBD industry is still somewhat of a ‘‘wild west’’ when it comes to the contents of each bottle, he said.
‘‘I started reading a bunch of stuff from elite athletes around the world, like Nate Diaz [UFC] and guys in the NFL [gridiron] who swore by the stuff.
‘‘It wasn’t cheap but I found a trusted guy in the US who heaps of athletes use and I started using the oil myself.’’
He and his team-mates at the Bedford Blues in England were shocked by the effect CBD had after just over a week in his system.
‘‘My inflammation went way down and my sleep improved out of sight,’’ he said.
‘‘I didn’t feel anymore like I needed painkillers which was a first in I don’t know how long. ‘‘I knew straight away there was a market for it [CBD] here [in the UK] but I’m still playing, and so is my business partner, so we wanted something that was 100 per cent cleared before we started.’’
Having their product thirdparty tested and certified to ensure it was clear of any traces of THC meant Hart was able to officially launch his company late last year.
‘‘Above all else the stuff works, and that’s why I am so passionate about it,’’ he said.
‘‘This is never something I thought I’d be doing, especially not while still playing, but I’m loving it.
‘‘CBD, when done right, is a safe alternative to the drugs athletes are traditionally filled with. That stuff is not good and I have seen the dark side of it.
‘‘When I left the [Auckland] Blues I always planned on coming home one day.
‘‘It’s only a matter of time before New Zealand lets CBD oil be sold over the counter too and when it happens I’d love to bring the business home and help my fellow athletes. That’s the dream for sure.’’
Currently, CBD oil is legal in New Zealand but as a prescription medication only.
Hart said a number of highprofile Kiwi and Australian athletes regularly inquired about the product.
Hart became the Blues’ youngest-ever halfback in 2009. He moved to the Waratahs in 2012, played three games for Scotland, and is now with the Bedford Blues in England.
‘‘It even became a bit of a fun thing to do, pop a few and kick back on the couch and get a bit of a buzz . . . I was definitely on the road to a dark place.’’ Grayson Hart