NFL players say league legalizing marijuana could help with players’ chemical painkillers use in ESPN survey

Could the NFL reduce its players’ use of chemical painkillers if the league legalized marijuana? A majority of NFL players said yes in an ESPN survey.

Christian Clark

Nov. 04, 2016, 4:03 p.m.

Pure Love CBD strain of cannabis at Simply Pure. (Chloe Aiello/Denverite) — Many NFL players believe marijuana could help reduce players' dependency on chemical painkillers. (Chloe Aiello/Denverite)

Could the NFL reduce its players’ use of chemical painkillers if the league legalized marijuana? A majority of NFL players said yes in an ESPN survey.

ESPN asked 226 players from around the league. Here was ESPN’s conclusion:

“In the survey, 61 percent of players said they believed fewer players would take pain-killing shots such as Toradol if marijuana were a legal option. Toradol is the most common anti-inflammatory taken by NFL players, and 64 percent of the survey’s respondents said they had taken an injection of it or another pain killer.”

Marijuana use is legal for recreational use in four states already, and it’s legal for medicinal use in 25 states. More could be on the way, too, as five states vote next week to make recreational cannabis use OK, and four others vote on making medicinal use legal.

Forty-two percent of players ESPN surveyed said they have had a teammate get addicted to chemical painkillers.

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