A man who has survived four separate comas says medical cannabis is the one thing that finally gave him relief after decades of debilitating neurological symptoms that left doctors struggling for answers.
Eric Powers, 49, who now lives in Birkenhead, Merseyside in the UK, says cannabis “saved his life” after years of battling severe migraines, chronic nausea, temporary blindness and a rare neurological condition that developed following a childhood accident.
The former IT specialist, originally from Florida, said his health problems began after an accident on an inflatable slide when he was 13 years old in 1989.
Eric recalled being launched into the air before landing heavily on his head, leaving him in a coma for five days.
Following the accident, he says he began experiencing a series of unexplained neurological episodes that would continue for decades.
According to Eric, symptoms included convulsions, difficulty swallowing, insomnia, temporary blindness and repeated comas.
In total, he says he has slipped into four separate comas over the years, each lasting around three days on average.
Doctors were reportedly unable to fully explain the condition, which Eric described as terrifying and unpredictable.
“Nobody could explain what was happening to me,” he said.
During the early years after the accident, Eric explained the episodes occurred as often as once a month, dramatically affecting his quality of life.
He said he was prescribed numerous medications in an attempt to manage the symptoms, but many came with severe side effects.
Some treatments eased certain symptoms while making others worse, leaving him trapped in a cycle of pain, nausea and exhaustion.
Medicinal cannabis refers to cannabis-based products, including oils, capsules, or dried plant material, prescribed by authorized doctors to treat symptoms of specific chronic or terminal illnesses.
Everything changed, he says, when he first tried cannabis at the age of 27 in 2003.
Eric described the experience as immediate and life-changing.
“It was almost an instant flip,” he said.
“I went from wanting to throw up constantly to actually being able to eat and feel better.”
He added that cannabis dramatically reduced his nausea and helped him regain a level of stability he had not experienced in years.
Later in life, Eric was also diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) in his early 40s, adding another layer to his long-term health struggles.
MS is a lifelong condition affecting the brain and spinal cord which can cause symptoms including pain, fatigue, muscle problems and difficulties with mobility.
Eric says cannabis has continued to play a major role in helping him manage the condition, particularly chronic pain and nausea.
Now living in the UK after moving in 2025 following an online relationship that developed into love, he is speaking publicly about his experience in an effort to challenge what he believes is lingering stigma surrounding medical cannabis.
Eric said many people still misunderstand the drug and fail to recognise the positive impact it can have for some patients living with serious illnesses and chronic conditions.
While medical cannabis remains tightly regulated in the UK, specialist doctors can prescribe cannabis-based medicines in certain circumstances, including for some epilepsy patients, chemotherapy-related nausea and MS-related muscle stiffness.
Campaigners have increasingly called for broader access in recent years, arguing some patients experience significant improvements in quality of life when conventional treatments fail.
For Eric, the difference has been profound.
