Cannabis and Football

The National Football League (you can call it NFL) has been fighting a “War against Marijuana” for many years. The problem is that this so-called war contradicts pretty much everything: reality, scientific studies, and even the American public opinion.

As a matter of fact, the NFL bases its whole plan on a concept of marijuana that is archaic at best. It almost feels like its war has a direct link to the famous propaganda movie released in 1936, Reefer Madness, in which a bunch of young people turn quite literally insane – they kill someone, they steal stuff and get mad – after smoking a little bit of pot.

Generally speaking, sports associations are usually against pot for three main reasons: 1) smoking pot supposedly improves the performance of the players, 2) cannabis is considered to be a danger for the health of the athletes, 3) being associated with marijuana is not a good marketing move. The reality is that all 3 points are wrong.

Smoking pot now and then doesn’t transform a talentless athlete into the best quarterback of the league. Best case scenario, the player would be able to better manage his own anxiety if he smokes some pot, which is the same kind of effect that a glass of wine or even a nice piece of classical music can have on our brain. And it really wasn’t marijuana the substance that put Ricky Williams’ health at risk, even if the NFL suspended him (and many other players) because he used cannabis. If we want to talk about health, why don’t we chat about the number of dangerous anti-pain drugs these young men ingest (Percodan, Vicodin, Demerol, Dilaudid, etc.). These drugs are addictive and can destroy the liver. Even if there was any kind of cannabis-related side effect, that side effect wouldn’t be comparable to the damage all those “legal” drugs do – by the way, the NFL is not even thinking about cutting those products out the equation, maybe because cannabis could be the solution to the problem. And if we are talking about image, 50% of the people who live in America now think marijuana should be legalized. Recent studies even demonstrate that around 50% of the players smoke pot anyway (and good for them!).

What is the NFL waiting for exactly? In a world where medical marijuana is finally recognized as an important drug and people can buy their own seeds to grow their own plants, the NFL is still frozen in a sort of medieval dream. It’s time to wake up!