Eugen Monroe, has had his share of bumps and bruises during his seven-year N.F.L. career as an offensive tackle with the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Baltimore Ravens. He has had shoulder injuries, ankle sprains, concussions and all the usual wear and tear that comes from hitting defenders dozens of times a game.
To deal with these injuries, Monroe has stepped forward and called upon the N.F.L. to stop testing players for marijuana so he and other players can take the medical version of the drug to treat their chronic pain, and avoid the addictive opioids that teams regularly dispense.
“We now know that these drugs are not as safe as doctors thought, causing higher rates of addiction, causing death all around our country,” Monroe said in an interview on Friday, “and we have cannabis, which is far healthier, far less addictive and, quite frankly, can be better in managing pain.”
stop testing players for marijuana so he and other players can take the medical version of the drug to treat their chronic pain, and avoid the addictive opioids that teams regularly dispense.
“We now know that these drugs are not as safe as doctors thought, causing higher rates of addiction, causing death all around our country,” Monroe said in an interview on Friday, “and we have cannabis, which is far healthier, far less addictive and, quite frankly, can be better in managing pain.”
Retired football players like Kyle Turley and Ricky Williams have promoted the benefits of marijuana and called for the league to acknowledge those benefits. Monroe, though, may be one of the first to openly urge the league to stop testing for the drug, possibly risking the wrath of owners, league officials and other players.
“It’s a shame that Roger Goodell would tell our fans there’s no medical vs. recreational distinction,” Monroe wrote.
Last week, Monroe said he had given $80,000 to Realm of Caring, a Colorado-based advocacy group that is working with the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine to study the impact of medical marijuana on traumatic brain injury and chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a degenerative brain disease linked to repeated hits to the head.
Monroe also started a website about the use of marijuana for pain management.
Though two dozen states now allow the use of some forms of marijuana, the N.F.L. has not softened its stance on the drug. Before the Super Bowl in February, Goodell said the league’s medical advisers continued to look at the research but did not have enough evidence to warrant a change in the league’s position.
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/16/sports/football/raven-calls-on-nfl-to-allow-marijuana-use-for-sports-pains.html?module=WatchingPortal®ion=c-column-middle-span-region&pgType=Homepage&action=click&mediaId=thumb_square&state=standard&contentPlacement=5&version=internal&contentCollection=www.nytimes.com&contentId=http://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/16/sports/football/raven-calls-on-nfl-to-allow-marijuana-use-for-sports-pains.html&eventName=Watching-article-click&_r=0
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Makes sense to me, but good luck with getting Goodell and the league to change their mindset about this.
To deal with these injuries, Monroe has stepped forward and called upon the N.F.L. to stop testing players for marijuana so he and other players can take the medical version of the drug to treat their chronic pain, and avoid the addictive opioids that teams regularly dispense.
“We now know that these drugs are not as safe as doctors thought, causing higher rates of addiction, causing death all around our country,” Monroe said in an interview on Friday, “and we have cannabis, which is far healthier, far less addictive and, quite frankly, can be better in managing pain.”
stop testing players for marijuana so he and other players can take the medical version of the drug to treat their chronic pain, and avoid the addictive opioids that teams regularly dispense.
“We now know that these drugs are not as safe as doctors thought, causing higher rates of addiction, causing death all around our country,” Monroe said in an interview on Friday, “and we have cannabis, which is far healthier, far less addictive and, quite frankly, can be better in managing pain.”
Retired football players like Kyle Turley and Ricky Williams have promoted the benefits of marijuana and called for the league to acknowledge those benefits. Monroe, though, may be one of the first to openly urge the league to stop testing for the drug, possibly risking the wrath of owners, league officials and other players.
“It’s a shame that Roger Goodell would tell our fans there’s no medical vs. recreational distinction,” Monroe wrote.
Last week, Monroe said he had given $80,000 to Realm of Caring, a Colorado-based advocacy group that is working with the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine to study the impact of medical marijuana on traumatic brain injury and chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a degenerative brain disease linked to repeated hits to the head.
Monroe also started a website about the use of marijuana for pain management.
Though two dozen states now allow the use of some forms of marijuana, the N.F.L. has not softened its stance on the drug. Before the Super Bowl in February, Goodell said the league’s medical advisers continued to look at the research but did not have enough evidence to warrant a change in the league’s position.
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/16/sports/football/raven-calls-on-nfl-to-allow-marijuana-use-for-sports-pains.html?module=WatchingPortal®ion=c-column-middle-span-region&pgType=Homepage&action=click&mediaId=thumb_square&state=standard&contentPlacement=5&version=internal&contentCollection=www.nytimes.com&contentId=http://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/16/sports/football/raven-calls-on-nfl-to-allow-marijuana-use-for-sports-pains.html&eventName=Watching-article-click&_r=0
****
Makes sense to me, but good luck with getting Goodell and the league to change their mindset about this.