NFL Awards $1M to Studies Researching Cannabinoids' Effects on Pain Management

The NFL has chosen two medical teams and funded them with $1 million for the purpose of researching the impact of cannabinoids on pain management and neuroprotection from concussion in football players.

According to the Associated Press (h/t ESPN), NFL chief medical officer Dr. Allen Sills said of the initiative:

"We're always interested in trying to improve our approach and our treatment for acute and chronic pain in NFL players, and we always want to make sure that our players are receiving the most up-to-date medical consensus around any of these treatments. So, our burden of proof is really high for NFL players.

"Anytime we want to introduce a new therapy, we have to understand how that decision might impact their well-being and their performance. We know there's been a lot of interest in this area, but we did not feel like there was a lot of great solid research on the benefits of marijuana, CBD and treating acute and chronic pain. So, that's why we wanted to try to contribute to the body of science in this area."

Per the AP, 106 medical teams made proposals to the NFL, and the league chose teams from the University of California San Diego and the University of Regina in Canada.

Paying for such research is the latest step in the league's loosening of cannabis restrictions against players.

While positive tests for cannabis used to elicit lengthy suspensions, that is no longer the case under the collective bargaining agreement. Players can be fined for using the drug depending on how many times they test positive, but suspensions are no longer on the table.

The CBA also prevents the league from testing for cannabis from April to August, and players must have significantly more of the drug in their system than they did previously to constitute a positive test.

Many current and former players have advocated for cannabis use in the area of pain management rather than the use of painkillers.

Highly addictive opioids can be damaging to the body over time, and those who support the use of cannabis instead argue there are far fewer long-term effects compared to opioids.

The NFL first announced in June that it was fielding proposals for pain management alternatives to opioids, including cannabis.

According to the Associated Press, the research being conducted by the two universities will take three years to complete.