The NFL Steps Forward To Support Cannabis Research

On June 8, a commission formed between the NFL and the league’s players’ union plans to award up to $ 1 million in grants to researchers to investigate the therapeutic potential of marijuana, CBD, and other alternatives to opioids for treating pain .

The cannabis industry has long viewed top division sport as a hallmark of sales comparison. At the end of the day, major league sports are mainstream businesses. On average, the NFL generates $ 15 to 18 billion annually. The cannabis industry in the United States alone has far exceeded this benchmark.

What the NFL says about cannabis matters. The NFL’s award of $ 1 million in research grants to investigate the therapeutic potential of cannabinoids reflects Amazon’s recent announcement that it is moving the federal government to join forces.

The cannabis industry has long viewed top tier sport as a hallmark for generating sales … [+] Benchmark.

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For decades, US state-approved marijuana research was only allowed at the National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA), which is part of the University of Mississippi at Oxford. Historically, NIDA’s research brief has been to underpin why a substance like cannabis is so harmful to humans and society that it should be kept as a List I controlled substance, defined as having no therapeutic benefit, no medical benefit and high potential for abuse.

Despite promises of reform in cannabis research, the federal government can still only receive research proposals for controlled substances that show this high potential for abuse and addiction. This has been challenged legally by Sue Sisley, a psychiatrist and former clinical assistant professor at the University of Arizona College of Medicine. In 2017, 12-year-old Alexis Bortell, along with several other plaintiffs, including former NFL lineman Marvin Washington, sued the federal government for keeping marijuana as a List 1 drug. This case was dismissed, but a federal appeals court reinstated him. Two years later there was no official government response and the case is still pending. A cannabinoid like cannabinol (CBD) can be derived from either legal definition of cannabis – marijuana or industrial hemp – and is now used in medicines like Epidiolex. Therefore the designation Schedule 1 is no longer available.

The NFL doesn’t talk about cannabis advertising. This is about the medicinal, or at least therapeutic benefits of cannabinoids, which are part of a growing acceptance of cannabis by top tier sports organizations.

In March 2020, a collective agreement approved by NFL team owners removed the possibility of players being banned from games for testing positive for a substance – not just marijuana. In 2019, the MLB removed cannabis from the league’s list of prohibited substances. Last year the NBA introduced a temporary policy against random drug testing of players for marijuana amid the pandemic. it will likely be permanent. In January 2021, the UFC announced that it would stop punishing athletes who tested positive for marijuana. In recent years, the NHL has taken a progressive stance on cannabis, and in 2019 the NHL Alumni Association signed an agreement with a Canadian cannabis company to see if it could help former players quit opioids.

Think of the increased awareness of traumatic brain injury and chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) among current and retired athletes. In 2017, medical journal JAMA published a study that found CTE was present in 99% of the brains of deceased NFL players donated to scientific research. The NFL’s financial support for cannabinoid research is the result of evaluating a potentially useful therapy that could help its players.

In addition to traumatic injuries, there is also the potential for muscle regeneration and alleviation of inflammation. Former badass Philadelphia Flyer, Riley Cote, a guy you don’t want to run into for keeping his elbow up your throat, has publicly discussed the use of cannabis for pain relief, nutritional support, and everyday development.

Although cannabis is still treated as a List 1 substance, it is well documented that cannabinoids have novel anti-inflammatory properties.

Ultimately, the NFL is a business. The league is now putting pressure on the federal government, much like Amazon, which has just thrown public support for the MORE Act to push marijuana legalization in the United States. At the very least, we need to be able to research this plant to scientifically determine whether it is beneficial to humans. This is especially true for athletes, so kudos to the NFL for raising that torch and getting the players right.

The therapeutic potential of cannabis has also been advocated by Athletes for CARE, a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit founded in 2017 and led by ex-gamers who find support, opportunities, and meaning in life by exerting their influence on take advantage of social change. The organization aims to improve health and wellness offers worldwide for current and former athletes who live with mental and physical illnesses such as chronic pain, depression, anxiety, PTSD, CTE, TBI, substance abuse and opioid addiction.

The Executive Director of Athletes for CARE, Anna Valent, commented, “We are delighted that the NFL is investing a small amount in research into the therapeutic uses of cannabis and cannabinoids such as CBD. We hope this is a start and a shift in attitudes towards cannabis as a treatment option for many conditions. Hopefully this small investment will give them the confidence to incorporate cannabis into their other research initiatives, such as the hundreds of millions of dollars they have invested in head trauma research. There is evidence that cannabinoids can protect against brain injury and aid the healing process, and this should also be considered for these studies. Ultimately, protecting the health of your athletes in the long term is not just an ethical question, but also good business. “

Clinical research paves the way to legalization. Anecdotally, we’ve heard millions of personal stories about how the cannabis plant has improved the quality of life. From Charlotte Figi to Dr. Mechoulam’s research at the Faculty of Medicinal Chemistry at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in Israel we know that there is a symbiotic relationship between cannabinoids and the human body. We know and have documented the novelty of the human endocannabinoid system. The federal government has eased and continues to claim that the plant has no therapeutic value, even though we clearly know it does. We see again that in the absence of sound federal government policies, mainstream corporations take action – this can be a turning point. We need the influence of organizations like the NFL to fuel the cannabis conversation. It is not just about legalization, but about an end to the decades of failed drug policy. With the momentum of the NFL and Amazon, this could finally mark the new frontier for American cannabis – because we’ve all waited long enough.