NFL Provides $1 Million For Cannabis Research

This article was originally published on The Leaflet, a newsletter by Feuerstein Kulick.
While we’re on the topic of professional sports and cannabis . . . the NFL recently announced that it will be providing $1 million in grants to fund research on treating pain with CBD, cannabis and other cannabinoids.  The NFL’s decision is yet another sign that public perception of cannabis use is shifting – especially when it comes to the use of medical cannabis products to treat chronic pain and other ailments.  The change is welcome for so many reasons, not the least of which is that medical cannabis may help reduce prescription opioid use (and abuse).  

The CDC recently reported that drug overdoses increased by nearly 30% from 2019 to 2020 – with opioids as the driving force behind the increase.  While the entire country has continued to struggle with the opioid crisis, NFL players – who often suffer from chronic pain during their careers and for decades after their playing days are done – are particularly vulnerable to opioid abuse. A 2011 study commissioned by ESPN concluded that a staggering 52% of NFL players used prescription opioids at some point in their career, and 15% of retired players struggled with opioid abuse. Superbowl champion and three-time MVP Brett Favre has talked openly about his struggle with opioid addiction – telling Sports Illustrated that he would take as many as 14 Vicodin at once during his MVP run. 

Favre is not alone.  Calvin Johnson – the former All-Pro wide receiver for the Detroit Lions – told ESPN that trainers and physicians handed out opioid-based painkillers to players “like candy.”  Perhaps in response to what he witnessed in NFL locker rooms, Johnson launched his own line of cannabis products this year.  In explaining his motivation, Johnson told ESPN how he used cannabis to help cope with pain during his playing career.  In fact, Johnson’s advocacy for cannabis-based pain management products seems to have been one of the reasons the NFL decided to launch its grant program for cannabis research.

52% of NFL players used prescription opioids at some point in their career, and 15% of retired players struggled with opioid abuse.

(Cannabis entrepreneur and retired wide receiver, Calvin Johnson) The significance of the NFL’s shift on cannabis policy should not be underestimated.  It wasn’t long ago that the NFL punished its players for testing positive for marijuana by imposing harsh suspensions and hefty fines.  But, when the league adopted its new collective bargaining agreement this year, it adjusted its course by relaxing (though not eliminating) the standards and penalties for cannabis use.  The launch of the cannabis research grant program is another step in the right direction when it comes to cannabis policy.   In other words, it’s one small step for the country’s most powerful sports organization, and (hopefully) one giant leap forward in the fight to expand access to cannabis-based pain management medications.  
(For more information, contact Rich@dfmklaw.com.)