Former heavyweight boxer Derek Chisora has disclosed that he uses medical cannabis to manage chronic pain resulting from his 20-year career in the ring. The 42-year-old, who retired after 50 professional bouts, said the pain extends “from my knees to my hands”.
Speaking at the Cannabis Europa conference in London, Chisora explained that he turned to cannabis two to three years ago. “Before that, I was clean cut, but you notice the difference. I thought, this is actually helping,” he said. He emphasised that his use is strictly medical, not recreational.
Chisora is launching a platform called WarOnPain to help fellow fighters and others access legal medical cannabis. In the UK, medical cannabis is legal when prescribed by a specialist for conditions such as chronic pain and epilepsy.
He highlighted that many people are unaware of the legal pathway: “There are 28 million people living with chronic pain, but many still don’t understand the legal pathway or even realise medical cannabis exists in a regulated form in the UK.”
