On March 9, 2016, I became the first active NFL player to openly advocate for the use of cannabinoids (medical marijuana) to treat chronic pain and head injuries. The NFL relies heavily on opioids to get players back on the field as soon as possible, but studies have shown medical marijuana to be a much better solution; it is safer, less addictive and can even reduce opioid dependence. Some studies have also shown that cannabidiol (CBD) — one of the more than 100 cannabinoids found in marijuana — may function as a neuroprotectant, which means it can shield the cells in the brain from injury or degeneration. We need to learn more about this.
But to the NFL and the NFLPA, marijuana is a banned substance. End of story — even with the mounting evidence of the effectiveness of cannabinoids. A lot of NFL teams are located in states where medical and/or recreational marijuana has already been legalized (a few states in the U.S. have actually legalized it for both purposes).
In fact every team that has won the Super Bowl since 2012, including the Baltimore Ravens, is in a state that has passed some form of progressive marijuana legislation. And the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services even holds a patent (U.S. Patent 6630507), which labels cannabinoids found in marijuana as both anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective, two things that are crucial to the health of NFL players’ bodies and brains. Yet the Drug Enforcement Administration continues to insist that marijuana is a drug with no currently accepted medical use, and that’s enough for commissioner Roger Goodell. “I agree there have been changes [regarding the efficacy of medical marijuana], but not significant enough changes that our medical personnel have changed their view,” he said in February. “Until they do, then I don’t expect that we will change our view.”
I’m not here advocating for NFL players (or anyone) to get high and party while breaking the law. What I’m talking about is the responsibility of the NFL to care for its players. Nineteen players were suspended last season for testing positive for “substances of abuse,” and for some, their careers may be over. Why? For using something that can actually help people? How can a league so casual about the use of addictive opioids take such a hard line on a drug that might provide a safer alternative?
We must make a change. I’m calling for the NFL and the NFLPA to take three actions:
- Remove marijuana from the banned substances list.
- Fund medical marijuana research, especially as it relates to CTE.
- Stop overprescribing addictive and harmful opioids.
It’s time for the league to change its practices to better protect players and to set an example for our younger athletes. Painkillers are a part of the college game, too — I know from personal experience. Football is a violent game at every level.
I’m not asking the NFL to prescribe players cannabis. I’m calling on the league to remove its testing protocols for cannabis. It just makes sense.
Why do I care so much about this? I’ve watched teammates and some of my best friends battle with opioid addiction. I got a call recently from an old teammate at the University of Virginia who told me that one of our former UVA teammates — a guy who was a few years ahead of me and who mentored me before going on to play in the NFL — had gotten addicted to pain pills and had essentially vanished. He has left his home for the streets and is now addicted to heroin. My heart is broken for him and his family. There’s a good reason that Senator John McCain is calling for congressional hearings on the links between professional sports and prescription drug addiction. If I had to estimate, I would say that no less than 50% of NFL players have at some point used some kind of pain medication. That’s about 650 players. Half the guys you see on the field every Sunday.
We’ve all got some tough questions to face and I’m willing to do anything it takes to answer those questions. Is the NFL? I’ve donated to researchers at Johns Hopkins and Penn through the Realm of Caring, a great organization that I recently partnered with. I’ve also set up
a website with the goal of educating athletes — and the broader community — about the benefits of medical cannabis.
The answer can no longer be pills…. and more pills.
Every NFL player rides the T Train at some point in his career. But we need to be able to get off. The NFL should explore every means available to safely treat chronic pain and traumatic head injuries. And that means that the league needs to take a long, hard look at the benefits of medical marijuana.
Eugene Monroe
Contributor
