Why the NFL should change its views on marijuana

In 2011 I was diagnosed with stage 2 breast cancer. During chemotherapy I was prescribed OxyContin to help deal with the pain from both the chemo drugs and the bone marrow stimulant that caused excruciating pain in my chest and lower back. The drug didn't make the pain go away, rather I was too high to notice I was in pain. When the high would start to wear off the pain would return along with fever, chills, sweating, nausea and vomiting. This was explained to me as withdrawl from the OxyContin and the only thing that would make the symptoms stop was the next dose of OxyContin. After three days of being high and crashing hard, I had enough. I spent two days sick in bed neither eating nor sleeping nor taking my medication. Finally on the third day a friend called and offered to help. He showed up that night with a batch of edibles (marijuana infused baked goods). Upon the first dose I felt the pain slip from my body and the hunger return. I was able to eat food and keep it down for the first time in three days. I slept through the night without pain or nausea. It helped me through the last several months of chemotherapy. Even now cannabidiol (known as CBD oil) helps with my severe migraines that often leave me in so much pain I have to sleep on the bathroom floor. Marijuana does wonders without causing the complications of opiod drugs.

The view on the benefits of marijuana for medicinal purposes have slowly been changing in the United States in the last several years. Marijuana is legal in 33 states and the District of Columbia for medicinal purposes and ten states and the District of Columbia for recreational purposes including several states that host NFL teams. However, the NFL has continued to take a strong stance against the drug. While the league increased its minimum positive testing limit from 15 ng/mL to 35 ng/mL, the limit is still below every other professional sport and a hindrance to players who need the drug in order to live and function normally.

Houston Texans offensive lineman Seantrel Henderson is one such player. Henderson suffers from Crohn's disease, a chronic inflammatory bowel disease that affects the lining of the digestive tract. He had two surgeries to remove parts of his intestines due to the disease. Because of the surgeries, Henderson could not take traditional pain killers as drugs such as Toradol can cause gastrointestinal bleeding. Instead, medicinal marijuana helped Henderson to deal with the pain. Unfortunately, while the NFL has a therapeutic use exemption for the use of Adderall by players with ADHD, the league does not have an exemption for medicinal marijuana use, so in so doing, even for a medically approved reason, Henderson was suspended by the league for 10 games in 2016.

For many years the go to drug for pain management in the NFL was Toradol  While the side effects from Toradol include upset stomach, dizziness, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea the league never studied the long term effects of the drug on players including whether or not the blood thinning properties would cause damage to the brain. In recent years, many teams have switched to stronger more effective pain medications including opioids such as OxyContin, Vicodin and Percocet. However, the use of opioids has brought about a new set of complications.With prolonged use, pain-relieving effects of opioids lessen and pain can become worse causing a player to take higher doses in more frequent intervals. In addition to being less effective, the body can develop dependence on the drug. Opioid dependence causes withdrawal symptoms, which makes it difficult to stop taking them and addiction to the drug occurs. Also, opioids can cause respiratory depression so players run the risk of overdosing.

According to an ESPN story, which published findings by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, retired NFL players misuse opioids at a rate more than four times higher than the general population. 52 percent of the players surveyed admitted to using the drugs during their playing days with 71 percent admitting to abusing them. According to an Associated Press story, a class-action lawsuit being brought by 1,800 former NFL players claim they were encouraged by medical and training staff  of NFL teams to abuse painkillers and continue to play without regard to the long term effects the drugs would have on their health.

With such high risks involved in the use of opioids, the league must look to alternative forms of treatment for pain management. Medicinal marijuana advocates such as former NFL player Eugene Monroe feel that cannabis can be just as effective as the prescription pain medications used by the league today, without the long term adverse effects that those drugs can cause. Monroe, along with Doctors For Cannabis Regulation,  have openly requested that the league reconsider its policy on marijuana. Now is the time for the league to finally make a consideration for it.