Just think about it. You are in the stands watching a brutal December NFL game between the Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears in about 6 inches of snow. Bodies are crushed into each other, ribs are being snapped and the players feel every blow to the brain. After the game, you see several players at the neighborhood pub and you want to buy them a few beers – after all beer is the religion of football – right? It’s as normal as ice cream on a 97 degree day for kids and adults alike. Wrong! The game above was played in 1924 and alcohol was banned across the country. The players could destroy each other and they could have fought in WWI, but have a drink of beer? Nope. It seems ridiculous now since not only does most of the country drink on Football Sundays, but alcohol is responsible for about $2 billion a year in advertising spending.* Basically you are being encouraged to drink, especially when watching a football game. It does make you think though about exactly who is dictating what substances we are allowed to put into our bodies, and in addition these rulings are subject to change depending on who is in charge of our government. Cut to the debate now taking place among NFL players versus the league which is smoking marijuana. Currently, it is on the banned substance list even though half of the states in our country now allow medical marijuana prescriptions. Players are advocating the legal use of marijuana to help offset the pain of aches and bruises received during games and practices. Additionally, it has been proven that repeated blows to the head cause sustained headaches and lead to bouts of depression.** Marijuana aids in countering these conditions as well.*** The NFL, however, rejects marijuana prescriptions and instead prescribes opioids, which are not only heavily addictive, but also have detrimental side effects such as liver damage.**** Why is the cure of what hurts your body in the hands of governing groups that are not experiencing the same pain? Why can’t you decide what cure works better for you? I mean, if a player drinks or takes opioids to offset the pain he feels, that is acceptable. However, if they take a natural plant-based leaf that is not addictive and does not impair you to the extent overdrinking does, that act is deemed illegal and grounds for being fired and possibly put in jail. What warped society are we living in? As it is obvious the United States is slowly approving the use of marijuana for medical purposes state by state, can we be objective enough to agree that just like we once banned the very substance that is now paying for the incredibly high salaries of our NFL players, marijuana could soon be the painkiller of choice!
* http://www.aafp.org/about/policies/all/alcohol-advertising.htm
** https://www.sciencenewsforstudents.org/article/too-many-football-hits-can-change-brain
*** https://www.medicalmarijuana.com/medical-marijuana-as-a-treatment-for-depression/
**** http://drugabuse.com/library/the-effects-of-opiate-use/
This was a particularly interesting post to me because I had no idea that this debate was even occurring in our NFL. I knew the legalization of medical marijuana in the states has been an issue for the past couple of years, but I didn’t know the debate extended into our sports. I liked how you made the segue of previously banned items to currently banned to introduce the discussion of medical marijuana. It does seem unusual that the NFL would allow their players to be prescribed such an addictive substance that is known to have serious side effects, but not allow a substance that is much safer medically. To me, personally, the use of medical marijuana seems to be a much better option for the NFL than opioids. However, that being said, there are still some concerns regarding the issue. If the National Football League were to allow the use of marijuana prescriptions, would only the states that actually allow the use of medical marijuana within its state lines be allowed to give their football players the substance? Or would players in states that currently don’t have this legislation be allowed to as well? Could this decision even go so far as to drive some players to switch football teams? These are some of the questions that will have to be considered as the United States begins to slowly allow the use of marijuana.