Apart from military veterans, no occupation produces more chronic pain issues and neurological issues (concussion related) than being a professional football player. The popularity of cannabis as a medicinal therapy has been growing rapidly – among both former and current players.
The push for the NFL to reform its cannabis drug policy has gone from a whisper to a clamor. In advocating for reform, no former or current player is more emphatic than former offensive lineman, Kyle Turley.
Turley was frank when speaking to the LA Times for a recent article.
“Everyone knows this game is brutal. Cannabis saved my life, period, and it could help a lot of other players.”
Turley spent 8 years as an offensive lineman, taking a relentless pounding during games and even practices. Where was Turley’s health at when he left the game after 8 seasons?
Reduced to walking with a cane, facing bouts of depression and rage, he tried cannabis and saw rapid improvement. He eventually became involved in selling CBD supplements.
Turley is far from alone. Former New England Patriots star, Rob Gronkowski was similarly unequivocal about the value of cannabis as a medicinal therapy.
“It would have made a huge difference in my pain management during my career.”
Not surprisingly, former players are now embracing the cannabis industry as an investment opportunity. Hall of Famer, Joe Montana has invested in a cannabis company. Terrell Davis and Gronkowski are affiliated with CBD-based companies.
Then there is the use of cannabis during the career of players. Former player Chris Long is open about this use of cannabis throughout his 11-year career. Note that this was not some “substance abuse” confession.
Rather, Long was emphatic about the benefits of cannabis use, as noted in a CBS Sports article.
Shortly after announcing the official end of his NFL career, former Rams, Patriots, and Eagles defensive end Chris Long advocated for the league to allow the use of marijuana as pain medication and/or to treat stress…
Long stated that it's his belief the league should allow the use of marijuana, which he says is less harmful than alcohol and tobacco.
Long stated that it's his belief the league should allow the use of marijuana, which he says is less harmful than alcohol and tobacco.
Nothing controversial there. The Seed Investor regularly points out that alcohol and nicotine are dangerous drugs, killing more than a half a million Americans per year. Cannabis kills no one. But it does save lives – like former NFL’er Kyle Turley.
Perhaps the strongest reason why the NFL needs to update its cannabis policy for the 21st century comes in the overall numbers from the LA Times article.
In 2016, ESPN the Magazine conducted a poll of 226 NFL players to gauge their opinion on the matter. Nearly 60% said they worried about the long-term effects of painkillers. Not surprisingly, 61% said fewer players would take such drugs if marijuana were an allowed substance. [emphasis mine]
Again, this duplicates what we are seeing outside of pro football. Cannabis has now been shown to be a powerful tool in reducing opiate dependence – and thus reducing deaths from the Opioid Crisis.
With pain management requirements that dwarf almost any other occupation, NFL players don’t just want cannabis. They need cannabis. Other professional sports (such as hockey and basketball) have similarly massive needs for safe pain management therapies.
Enter cannabis.