Fortescue Metals Group director, two-time Olympic hockey gold medallist and regular medicinal cannabis user Jenn Morris has joined the Levin Health board.
Morris started using medicinal cannabis due to chronic pain from a back injury she endured as a child, and believes its benefits could help deal with an emerging concussion crisis in some of the world’s top sporting codes.
Her journey with cannabis is what brought her to joining the board of Levin Health, a sports science start-up that is built around cannabis.
Levin’s chief executive Mark Brayshaw was, until recently, CEO of the AFL Coaches Association and before that boss of Richmond Football Club.
Morris said what Levin is trying to solve is personal for her and that the company can be a significant player in the market.
She added: “I’ve lived with chronic pain since I was about 12 years sold. I had a back injury when really young, two knee reconstructions and throughout my life I’ve battled endometriosis.
“You reach a point where you put up with pain for years and years and eventually that chronic pain inhibits your normal day-to-day activities.”
She said using medicinal cannabis helped her get back to exercise and that she is a case study for the use of the plant in relieving chronic pain.
Morris uses a CBD-only medication while Levin produces a combination of products and is focused on conducting clinical trials, with an interest in pain management and the potential of cannabis to treat concussion.
She is also a member of the Australian Sports Commission and believes that, while the treatment of muscle strain injuries has rapidly evolved, concussion treatments have not and more research is needed to see if medicinal cannabis could play a role in reducing inflammation around the brain.
Levin expert advisor Harry Karelis said Morris, whose directorships include copper producer Sandfire Resources as well as Fortescue, will add extensive senior executive and board experience to Levin.
He added: “And her insight and understanding of chronic pain is invaluable to the challenges facing the medical cannabis space.”
