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BY: Chronic Staff | Recent News | published October 01, 2021
Today, the NFL still bans the use of marijuana by players. Out of the 32 teams in the NFL, only 6 are in the states where medical marijuana is not legal. Those states might likely have marijuana health care soon.
As an example, if Cleveland Browns’ quarterback Baker Mayfield has a back pain problem, he cannot use the legal medical marijuana system in Ohio. Testing is still done which means players can be tested randomly for THC from the start of training camp until preseason which is early August. Players cannot be suspended for testing positive. It will be evaluated if they need a drug treatment plan. There is also a corresponding fine which is a half-week salary loss for the first violation and so on up to a three-week salary loss for the fourth subsequent violations.
Another reason possibly for not approving of the use is the customer-based culture. The league has its older and more conservative white fans.
Data shows though that if there was ever an American employee group that has a use for marijuana as a healthcare option, it would have to be professional athletes generally. Football players deal with more pain that can result in a shorter career.
As per Peter Grinspoon, MD, who teaches medicine at Harvard Medical School, currently practices primary care physician in Boston and on staff at Massachusetts General Hospital, marijuana has some properties for pain management. Although he said it is not strong enough for post-surgical or a broken bone, it is somehow effective for chronic pain and is safer than opiates.
As an ending note, Eugene Monroe, a former NFL offensive tackle, thought that opening up to medical marijuana can prevent opioid addiction which is common to football players to manage their pain. He has a call to action on his website that states he is calling for the NFL to remove marijuana from the banned list, fund medical marijuana research, and stop prescribing addictive and harmful opioids.
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