Unless you’ve lived in the New England area in the 1980’s into the 2000’s, you probably are not familiar with the name of Bob Lobel. Back when local news and sports anchors made as much as high six to low seven figure salaries as ratings draws, Bob Lobel was a big name in Boston. As a sports anchor on WBZ-TV, he became one of the more popular personalities in the market.
As the 71 year old Lobel is no longer on television, he’s been dealing with chronic pain due to surgeries on his knees, back, rotator cuff, plus corrective procedures on his legs after a couple of accidents. Lobel said medical marijuana has helped him deal with the pain and led him to wean off over-the-counter medication.
In an interview with the Boston Herald, Lobel said medical marijuana is much better for his pain than taking opioids which can be addictive:
“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.”
Lobel said he attended a medical marijuana event in Boston a few months ago and learned it could be used for pain reduction and a doctor encouraged him to get a card which could lead to him getting the drug. As Massachusetts and other states have been dealing with an increasing opioid addition problem, more people are turning to medicinal marijuana as an alternative to pills.
Lobel first got some medical marijuana in Oregon where he met the requirements to get a card and while he’s waiting for his card in Massachusetts, he still has enough from the summer to get by. And he doesn’t smoke, but uses cannabis oil and even has ingests through candy or cookies.
It may not be perfect, but for those who suffer from chronic pain, medical marijuana can be the best way for patients to deal with it. And Lobel notes that one former Red Sox pitcher who openly discussed pot in the 1970’s might have foreseen the future:
“When (former Red Sox pitcher) Bill Lee was talking about marijuana and his brownies back in the ’70s, he wasn’t kidding. He was just ahead of his time.”
Here’s hoping Lobel will receive his card soon.
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About Ken Fang
Ken has been covering the sports media in earnest at his own site, Fang's Bites since May 2007 and at Awful Announcing since March 2013.
He provides a unique perspective having been an award-winning radio news reporter in Providence and having worked in local television.
Fang celebrates the four Boston Red Sox World Championships in the 21st Century, but continues to be a long-suffering Cleveland Browns fan.