NFL Looking to Study Cannabis For Potential As Alternative Pain Treatment

The NFL and NFL Players Association is offering up to $1 million in grants to researchers to study potential alternatives to opioid-based pain management. The research is expected to include looking at investigating the potential for cannabinoids to provide value and how they might ultimately have any impact on pain relief.

Over the years a number of athletes have had a difficult time managing pain and that has meant that many of them turn to things like opioids to try and find remedy.

There are a large number of risks that are associated with using opioids and this is one substance that is arguably much more dangerous than cannabis.

Cannabis is widely regarded as a natural alternative that various athletes have admitted to using and finding some remedy from for one thing or another.

Their use of CBD or cannabis though hasn't come without its own scrutiny.

Just recently the NFL had also decided that they would allegedly stop testing for cannabis during the offseason too for players, signaling a significant change in their drug policy for players.

Cannabis has long been referred to as a potential 'performance enhancing drug' and banned for use by athletes, but anyone who has ever used it could probably tell you that this isn't a plant that is known for enhancing athletic abilities. It might offer other benefits but enhancing performance hasn't been one of the frequently listed side effects.

Athletes are one of the largest target demographics for CBD products

A number of athletes have already emerged as cannabis advocates, some of them even becoming investors or starting their own CBD or cannabis companies over the years.

This is one area of the market that could have a significant impact on shedding some of that negative stigma with cannabis in the world, by helping to research and push forward information about how athletes might be able to use cannabis in an effective manner and get potential value in one way or another.

Athletes have been pushing for changes for years in the cannabis world and we are already starting to see them take place. In the future we might see many more changes come about with fewer restrictions around CBD and cannabis use. As well, we might see more acceptance for those products in general as more athletes embrace that advocate position in demonstrating the myriad of benefits that one individual might reap from this plant and products to be made from it.