DeAndre Hopkins on NFL Allowing CBD Medication: 'I Only Think It Would Help'

Houston Texans wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins has said he is in favor of the NFL unbanning the use of cannabidiol for pain purposes.

"I only think it would help if they do. You look at all the problems with heads. I don't think it would hurt for us to try something else and see what can help players," he told TMZ Sports.

The BIG3 announced last week it has approved the CBD medication for its players. The medication is seen by some as a safer option than prescription painkillers, which are chemically addictive.

Marijuana use is currently banned by the NFL. Players who test positive are subject to fines, suspensions and sometimes outright bans from the league. Cleveland Browns wide receiver Josh Gordon missed nearly three full seasons due to NFL suspensions, largely related to marijuana use. 

“This pain is never going away. My body is damaged,” former NFL offensive tackle Eugene Monroe told Rick Maese of the Washington Post last year. “I have to manage it somehow. Managing it with pills was slowly killing me. Now I’m able to function and be extremely efficient by figuring out how to use different formulations of cannabis.”

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has said the league does not see marijuana as having a medical benefit.

"We've been studying that through our advisers," Goodell said on ESPN last year. "To date, they haven't said, 'This is a change we think you should make that is in the best interest of the health and safety of our players.' If they do, we're certainly going to consider that. But to date, they haven't really said that."

Goodell did say the league is open to changing its position if given different medical information over the course of time.