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82% of Fans Want the NFL to Allow Marijuana Use for Active Players


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May 9, 2018

We recently polled 1,355 self-described NFL fans from around the United States for their opinions on current players using marijuana. Below you will find the results from this survey, which asked the following questions:

Do you think the NFL should allow current players to use marijuana? 
Yes 66%
No 25%
Not sure 9%

 

marijuana-nfl-players

Do you think the NFL should allow current players to use marijuana when prescribed by a doctor for pain management?
Yes 82%
No 10%
Not sure 8%

marijuana-nfl-players-doctor

Being in our 30s and 40s here at SportFacts, we remember the D.A.R.E. officers in front of our elementary school classrooms, pitching the dangers of marijuana use. The gateway drug to a world of deadly and dangerous substance addictions, we were told. We of course remember the “Just Say No” campaign as well.

But over the last decade especially, and as we’re a company based in Seattle, we have seen firsthand the attitude towards marijuana use shift drastically. Suddenly, the preaching of marijuana as dangerous has faded. Even our city’s mayor is working to reverse hundreds of marijuana convictions in our city. This appears to also be a national trend, the legalization, or at least the decriminalization of the plant.

For many, marijuana is a natural answer when it comes to pain management. Instead of prescribed painkillers, ones that have proven to be deadly and far more addictive, people are turning towards marijuana to help manage their chronic pains, including many former professional athletes.

But what about the current players, especially in the NFL, one of the most physically demanding sports?

Currently, the NFL doesn’t appear to have a plan in place when it comes to alternative pain management. There are plenty of former players who talk about how opioids were handed out like candy

But why is there such resistance from the league?

Most likely, the full-stop reason is that the drug is still federally illegal. The NFL doesn’t want to be in a fight with US attorneys by taking a public stance in favor of marijuana use for players. But there are backdoor ways around this. For example, turning a blind eye towards the drug’s use, making the testing less rigorous, or limiting the punishments to small fines when caught.

But second, and probably more than the above, it seems likely that the NFL is worried about the public perception of marijuana use among their current players. The league offices have rarely been able to take a stance one direction or another on any variety of issues without seeing massive backlash.

This simply seems like an issue of the NFL kicking the can further down the road. They’ll deal with it later. But in the meantime, the players are more than welcome to take opioids for their pain, no problem there.

 

 

 

https://www.sportfacts.org/82-of-fans-want-the-nfl-to-allow-marijuana-use-for-active-players/

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15 minutes ago, GoBengals said:

who the fuck says no to this stuff?

 

"no they should be forcing horrible addictive pain pills instead!!!111

 

the fuck is wrong with people....?

this!!!!

 

I don't even smoke weed....but jesus christ... it's ridiculous  how this shit goes.. 

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3 hours ago, GoBengals said:

who the fuck says no to this stuff?

 

"no they should be forcing horrible addictive pain pills instead!!!111

 

the fuck is wrong with people....?

An active and ongoing misinformation, propaganda and terror campaign by the US government is what's wrong. The numbers are all trending upward...the old fogies that were taught it's okay to slurp down tons of booze is okay but marijuana is the Devil are all dying off in droves.

 

It's generally called "The War On Drugs", which is an embarrassment to the word "war". No war goes on this long! Think of all the non-violent marijuana "offenders" are rotting in jail right now. For weed. Weed!

 

I agree it's unreal though. I suspect it has a lot more to do with the liquor, pharmaceutical and tobacco industries applying the squeeze with campaign funding for alt-right bullshit candidates that will vote "yes" on all the wrong legislation to continue to suppress marijuana in our culture.

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3 hours ago, Bunghole said:

 

 

I suspect it has a lot more to do with the liquor, pharmaceutical and tobacco industries applying the squeeze with campaign funding for alt-right bullshit candidates that will vote "yes" on all the wrong legislation to continue to suppress marijuana in our culture.

 

 

No need to "suspect"; look at who funds opposition to the various medical/recreational initiatives. 

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5 hours ago, Bunghole said:

An active and ongoing misinformation, propaganda and terror campaign by the US government is what's wrong. The numbers are all trending upward...the old fogies that were taught it's okay to slurp down tons of booze is okay but marijuana is the Devil are all dying off in droves.

 

It's generally called "The War On Drugs", which is an embarrassment to the word "war". No war goes on this long! Think of all the non-violent marijuana "offenders" are rotting in jail right now. For weed. Weed!

 

I agree it's unreal though. I suspect it has a lot more to do with the liquor, pharmaceutical and tobacco industries applying the squeeze with campaign funding for alt-right bullshit candidates that will vote "yes" on all the wrong legislation to continue to suppress marijuana in our culture.

Years ago I wasn't sure about the tobacco companies when I read somewhere they were patenting the names of weed like Acapulco Gold and others so they would have their brands ready to go.

Could have been urban legend or maybe they were playing both sides just in case.

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32 minutes ago, westside bengal said:

Years ago I wasn't sure about the tobacco companies when I read somewhere they were patenting the names of weed like Acapulco Gold and others so they would have their brands ready to go.

Could have been urban legend or maybe they were playing both sides just in case.

That is no urban legend... in 1994, I was on limited duty in the Navy after having to have my wrist fused together. I worked with a guy I had known for about 8 years, and we were both waiting to go back to full duty and get back aboard ships. His brother had joined the same time he did, but had only served 4 years. He worked for Phillip Morris Tobacco as an electronic technician, fixing machines all over the place. He showed up pictures he had taken of “Marlboro Greens”, “Golds”, and one other that I can’t remember the name of... and along the bottom of the pack it said “Marijuana Cigarettes”. He said they had been in storage since the late 80’s. Obviously, this was long before smart phones, he had taken the pictures with an actual film camera and we were looking at the originals.

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Like George Carlin used to say - anything we don't like about ourselves, we declare war on it. We don't do anything about it, we just declare war on it.

 

People STILL make up 'alternative facts' that are completely untrue. They just throw out there that crime is way up in all the states that have legalized cannabis, without ever bothering to look it up.

 

Like TDub said - just follow the money to see who is pulling Jeff Session's strings...

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You would think the opioid epidemic would only hasten the demise of whatever resistance remains towards marijuana.

 

My baby boy and I were in a pretty serious car wreck a couple weeks back (sorry, I don’t typically drag personal onto the internet), and I found myself really not wanting morphine doses or Percocet while in the hospital, despite the pain. Marijuana gummies seemed like the winner, once home. I’ll just leave that there.

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1 minute ago, USN Bengal said:

I was on limited duty in the Navy after having to have my wrist fused together. 

Jesus man, you take the sport out of it! 😆

 

But for the rest of your story, if that's the case, why aren't the tobacco companies lobbying for full on legalization? Or are they, and I slept through it?

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35 minutes ago, westside bengal said:

Years ago I wasn't sure about the tobacco companies when I read somewhere they were patenting the names of weed like Acapulco Gold and others so they would have their brands ready to go.

Could have been urban legend or maybe they were playing both sides just in case.

It wouldn't be a patent, it would be a trademark.

You only acquire the use of a trademark via it's use. Since you can't "use" a trade name to sell an illegal product, there is effectively no way to trademark.

In addition, terms like "Acapulco Gold" could be argued to be common slang and would most likely be ineligible for trademark even if RJR started selling packs of them. You can't start selling "Ham" brand ham and then claim to own the word "Ham".

Honestly, it would make far more sense to have "Marlboro" brand joints. You already have a strong brand name, etc...

And FWIW, a quick search shows three registered trademarks for "Acapulco Gold" - Suntan lotion, chip dip, and tequila. "Panama Red" is registered as a cologne.

So, as someone who has walked past the Phillip Morris tobacco warehouses for 30 years now.... It's nonsense.

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10 minutes ago, Cat said:

Jesus man, you take the sport out of it! 😆

 

But for the rest of your story, if that's the case, why aren't the tobacco companies lobbying for full on legalization? Or are they, and I slept through it?

LOL!

 

I think the hold up is that not enough states have legalized weed and so they do not have to ability to monopolize the growing and cultivation yet. As soon as they figure out how to control it, you will see it legalized most everywhere.

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13 minutes ago, USN Bengal said:

That is no urban legend... in 1994, I was on limited duty in the Navy after having to have my wrist fused together. I worked with a guy I had known for about 8 years, and we were both waiting to go back to full duty and get back aboard ships. His brother had joined the same time he did, but had only served 4 years. He worked for Phillip Morris Tobacco as an electronic technician, fixing machines all over the place. He showed up pictures he had taken of “Marlboro Greens”, “Golds”, and one other that I can’t remember the name of... and along the bottom of the pack it said “Marijuana Cigarettes”. He said they had been in storage since the late 80’s. Obviously, this was long before smart phones, he had taken the pictures with an actual film camera and we were looking at the originals.

http://cc.bingj.com/cache.aspx?q=Marlboro+Greens&d=4533146472810793&mkt=en-US&setlang=en-US&w=TpxsklkiuL8Nb-vk-wKgdasyZj6ZSMF5

This rumor has been in circulation since 1969... And the latest version is the "Marlboro M". 

"Altria"/Philip Morris is doing everything they can to try and ignore the fact that they sell cigs now. I can't imagine that they ran this pilot during the Reagan years when legalization was not even on the radar... Or in 1969 when Nixon was in crackdown mode.

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31 minutes ago, LostInDaJungle said:

http://cc.bingj.com/cache.aspx?q=Marlboro+Greens&d=4533146472810793&mkt=en-US&setlang=en-US&w=TpxsklkiuL8Nb-vk-wKgdasyZj6ZSMF5

This rumor has been in circulation since 1969... And the latest version is the "Marlboro M". 

"Altria"/Philip Morris is doing everything they can to try and ignore the fact that they sell cigs now. I can't imagine that they ran this pilot during the Reagan years when legalization was not even on the radar... Or in 1969 when Nixon was in crackdown mode.

I saw the pictures and know the guy worked for them... all I can say is that I wouldn't be surprised at all if it is true. Big business will do whatever they want regardless the political/social climate, anything for a buck.

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I doubt pot is a good substitute for serious pain meds but I couldn't care less if athletes smoked it.  All you need to do is read the police reports every Sunday morning. 

 

90% of every domestic abuse cases, bar fights, assaults etc are alcohol related.  50% of all fatal car accidents are alcohol related.  Hell, you don't even see arrests for pot in Ohio much anymore unless you have more than a 100 grams.  Anything under .22 lbs or 100 grams is misdemeanor. 

 

Opioid ODs and crime are significant in Ohio.  Pot is so far off the radar as a problem drug it isn't even worth testing for in the NFL. 

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I can tell you that CBD oil is a fucking miracle drug... my son went from 20+ grand mal seizures a day to NONE since December... after ingesting CBD oil.

No psychogenic properties, no high, it's natural, and he was also taken OFF the 4 psychotropic drugs that he was on because of the CBD oil.

Oh yeah... it also stopped the migraines that he was having at least twice a day as well.

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28 minutes ago, T-Dub said:

 

Not as far as smoking it, but there's a lot of research & testimonials around derivatives like CBD right now.  

I've been reading a lot about those. Apparently they have been shown to reduce/eliminate seizures. One of the CBD's being used is even named after the little girl it saved ("Charlotte's Web"). If you've not read that story, you MUST read it (and keep in mind that there are plenty of online resources carrying this story, but this being from CNN seems to lend it a bit more "air of credibility"): 

 

https://www.cnn.com/2013/08/07/health/charlotte-child-medical-marijuana/index.html

 

More pertinent to the thread topic is about similar products (CBD's) being used for chronic pain treatment for....former NFL players, headed up by Jake "The Snake" Plummer! Remember kids, CBD's do not get you high. They are very low in THC and very high in cannabinoids, which are really showing signs of promise in this area (pain relief).

 

Here's the story of Plummer's company, along with a laundry list of former players using this stuff (this is a REALLY good piece on medical marijuana, please READ it!): http://thelab.bleacherreport.com/jake-plummer-s-pot-crusade/

 

...and there are more and more stories like these coming up every day. The evidence is overwhelming FOR medical marijuana use, but you see how that's working out for things like Climate Change, Flat Earthers, etc...

 

So I guess it's going to be a slow, inexorable change like anything else involving  a bureaucracy (like the NFL). We'll see.

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2 hours ago, SF2 said:

I doubt pot is a good substitute for serious pain meds but I couldn't care less if athletes smoked it.  All you need to do is read the police reports every Sunday morning. 

 

90% of every domestic abuse cases, bar fights, assaults etc are alcohol related.  50% of all fatal car accidents are alcohol related.  Hell, you don't even see arrests for pot in Ohio much anymore unless you have more than a 100 grams.  Anything under .22 lbs or 100 grams is misdemeanor. 

 

Opioid ODs and crime are significant in Ohio.  Pot is so far off the radar as a problem drug it isn't even worth testing for in the NFL. 

As someone who last had a drink when BFITO came to visit the states a decade ago...

This X 100. I cannot tell you how irritating is is for me to have some company talk about their "Drug free workplace" while they tell me how they get together for drinks after work.

I realize that as the adult child of an alcoholic that might not be everyone's opinion, but I don't think it's any less valid than some octogenarian's fears that smoking a bowl is going to make me want to have sex with a Jazz musician.

The "war on drugs" stared as an exercise in racism, grew in scope as an exercise in racism, and has expanded police powers far beyond anything envisioned by the framers of our constitution. 

 

Quote

 

"The Nixon campaign in 1968, and the Nixon White House after that, had two enemies: the antiwar left and black people," former Nixon domestic policy chief John Ehrlichman told Harper's writer Dan Baum for the April cover story published Tuesday.
"You understand what I'm saying? We knew we couldn't make it illegal to be either against the war or black, but by getting the public to associate the hippies with marijuana and blacks with heroin. And then criminalizing both heavily, we could disrupt those communities," Ehrlichman said. "We could arrest their leaders. raid their homes, break up their meetings, and vilify them night after night on the evening news. Did we know we were lying about the drugs? Of course we did."

 


 

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4 hours ago, LostInDaJungle said:

As someone who last had a drink when BFITO came to visit the states a decade ago...

Does weed impair memory? It was only four years ago...LOL! That was your last beer? Good for you. I'm not a pot smoker but, as someone who is a drinker and the occasional enjoyer of edibles, I think the negativity and laws around marijuana are laughable. As of July 1 (Canada Day) marijuana will be legal in Canada.  

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