This year’s Super Bowl promises to be BIG.
The New England Patriots are going to be in it for the eighth time, Lady Gaga is singing at half time and Jim McMahon former Bears quarterback along with a group of former NFL players are using the Super Bowl to push for a new policy on Marijuana. These players are asking that pot be more widely available as an alternative to drugs like Percocet and other opioid painkillers.
It’s no coincidence that this week, Cannabis Professional Sports, [a public forum], was held in Houston, this year’s Super Bowl host city. At the forum McMahon stated, “This is something that has got to get into the mainstream.” McMahon has said that pot helped him with pain management without the side effects he experienced from opioids. The NFL Players Association is drafting a proposal to change how the NFL handles Marijuana use.
Dr. Sue Sisley, one of my favorite Medical Marijuana advocates, helped organize this event. Dr. Sisley sits on the board, Doctors for Cannabis Regulation, which advocates marijuana legalization. She has done ground-breaking work on the effects of Cannabis on veterans with PTSD. Although Dr. Sisley does not consume Cannabis, she is one of the nation’s foremost scientific experts on Medical Marijuana. Dr. Sisley stated, “If we can persuade the wealthiest most powerful organization in the country, the NFL, to reevaluate their policy, we all know that is going to have a giant ripple effect.” (As a side note, if you ever have the chance to hear Dr. Sisley speak – go because she’s pretty amazing!)
In my blog 12/07/16 Go Team, I referenced Eugene Monroe, a retired Baltimore Raven, who is also advocating for the NFL to rethink their policies on Medical Marijuana. https://erbanna.com/blogs/news-1/go-team
Frankly, I find this all very hopeful. These players have been dealing with alot of pain and I find it courageous for them to come forward and speak out. If one of our biggest industries, the NFL, is listening to these players and is considering the use of marijuana for pain management, this could be a huge step forward toward legalization at the Federal level and a really serious game changer. However, until that day comes, let's keep on our Pppoker Face.
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