Why The NFL Is Suddenly Investing In Cannabis
But the league hasn't given it players full freedom with cannabis just yet.
The NFL is taking a huge step toward wide acceptance of cannabis -- and even using it to help its players.
The NFL and its players association announced in a press release that they are joining together to fund two research grants worth over $500,000 to medical research towards alternative pain management methods with cannabidiol or CBD as one of the main studies in the research.
Non-invasive vagal nerve stimulation (nVNS) and other mindfulness-based intervention will also be studied, according to the press release.
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The league had actually already begun funding for research on CBD when it donated $1 million to University of San Diego and University of Regina to study CBD’s benefits on general pain recovery.
The league has begun to turn around its views on cannabis in recent years after previously hammering hard on players for their use of cannabis. This was with former First Team All-Pro wide receiver Josh Gordon who was suspended multiple times by the league for violating its substance abuse policy.
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In 2020, the NFL changed its rules on marijuana in its collective bargaining agreement such that it could no longer suspend players for testing positive for marijuana use. However, players could still be fined by the league for getting caught.
But the NFL still drug tests its players for marijuana, and its counterparts in the NBA just recently got rid of that rule. It remains to be seen whether the NFL will do that, but this investment seems to show that the league and its players association may be headed in that direction soon.
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