The National Football League Players Association announced Wednesday it will study the effects of marijuana as a pain-management tool with players in search of league-approved alternatives to opioid-based painkillers.
According to the Washington Post's Mark Maske, "The union is forming an NFL players pain-management committee that will study players’ use of marijuana as a pain-management mechanism, among other things, though the union has not yet determined if an adjustment to the sport’s ban on marijuana use is warranted."
Marijuana is currently banned by the NFL, and the league's official drug policy, but NFLPA assistant executive director of external affairs George Atallah said Wednesday the union's hope is to learn more about how marijuana stands up as a pain-relief tool, per Maske:
Marijuana is still governed by our collective bargaining agreement.