NFL Under Pressure To Relax Cannabis Rules, Advocates Are Getting Louder

Last week, the NBA announced that it will no longer test players for cannabis as part of a deal between the league and the National Basketball Players Association. While the agreement is pending ratification, some of its details made headlines Monday concerning the players’ ability to invest in NBA and WNBA teams, as well as promote and/or invest in sports betting and cannabis companies.

Many athletes praised the move and urged their respective leagues to follow in the NBA’s footsteps.

Former Colts punter and media personality Pat McAfee was loud and clear in his Saturday tweet.

“Hey, @NFL… you see, the @NBA just decided to stop testing for marijuana entirely?” he said, alluding to the fact that the sports organization still bans players from using medical cannabis for their own pain management.

Other NFL Legends Who Have  Embraced Cannabis

Though public reaction to McAfee’s cannabis advocacy was mixed, as it turns out, the famous athlete is just one of many who have been pushing for policy reform and participating in the burgeoning industry.

As of February, former NFL player Eddie “Boo” Williams is in partnership with House of Kush, the Kansas City, Missouri-based legacy cannabis company which is expected to result in a lifestyle and cannabis brand Black Gold Buddha.

NFL legend Ricky Williams is behind the cannabis lifestyle brand Highsman which, in addition to a recent partnership with cannabis pre-roll brand Jeeter, ventured into the metaverse with the opening of Highsman House in September, the first virtual reality sports and cannabis experience powered by AltspaceVR.

The famous running back also attended last September's Benzinga event in Chicago along with Calvin Johnson, Ben Wallace, Rob Sims and Al Harrington. The Benzinga Cannabis Capital Conference is returning to Miami Beach next week, on April 11-12.

Next up, we have former Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jim McMahon who founded cannabis brand Revenant which, together with Kyle Turley and Eben Britton recently hosted a celebrity golf tournament to raise funds for the Gridiron Greats Assistance Fund, a nonprofit set up to help retired NFL players and their families in financial need. The February event was the first open cannabis-consumption golf tournament around February's Super Bowl.

“God got us all off of these (pain) pills that we were taking for years,” said McMahon at the time, according to a local PBS outlet. Cannabis “is a much, much better thing for us. Everybody has a cannabinoid system in their bodies, and we’re supposed to be using this plant.”

Former Georgia Bulldog Tavarres King told Channel 2's Zach Klein last year that 80% of the guys in the league are using cannabis as a pain-management solution.

In a gesture to medical marijuana, the NFL announced in June 2021 that it was earmarking $1 million for research into the therapeutic potential of cannabis, CBD and other alternatives to opioids for treating pain.

Benzinga Cannabis Capital Conference

The most successful cannabis business event in the world, the Benzinga Cannabis Capital Conference, returns to Miami for its 16th edition.
This is the place where DEALS GET DONE, where money is raised, M&A starts, and companies meet investors and key partners. Join us at the Fontainebleau Miami Beach Hotel in Florida on April 11-12. Don’t miss out.
Secure your tickets now. Prices will surge very soon.

Photo: Benzinga edit of images by Diyahna Lewis and Dave Adamson on Unsplash