Five more NFL teams will soon be playing in states where marijuana is legal, and the NFL Players Association is exploring the possibility of letting NFL players use marijuana as a pain-management tool.
George Atallah, the NFLPA assistant executive director of external affairs, told the Washington Post Wednesday that the NFLPA is “actively looking” at using marijuana as a pain-management tool and will form a committee to study benefits of the drug.
Marijuana remains a banned substance under the terms of the NFL’s collective bargaining agreement.
In a statement given to the Washington Post, the NFL said it will continue “to follow the advice of leading experts on treatment, pain management and other symptoms associated with concussions and other injuries. However, medical experts have not recommended making a change or revisiting our collectively-bargained policy and approach related to marijuana, and our position on its use remains consistent with federal law and workplace policies across the country. If these medical experts change their view, then this is an area that we would explore.”
Recently retired offensive tackle Eugene Monroe has been a vocal supporter in recent years of changing the NFL’s policy and exploring the possibility of allowing the use of medical marijuana instead of standard painkillers. Any change in the terms of the collective bargaining agreement would have to be approved by the NFLPA and the league.