Ever since the golden age of drug usage in the United States, a period that is typically generalized as the 1970's, the National Football League has taken a very firm stance on substance usage amongst its football players. From failing a drug test to getting arrested for being in possession of marijuana, players have faced extremely harsh punishments that have often times left them without a job and career path. Furthermore, most NFL teams have refused to sign a player who was released from his previous team, a fact that has made finding work post the initial punishment an extremely difficult task. However, many of these anti-marijuana policies were implemented during a period in American history in which conservative values frowned upon any sort of recreational and medical enactment of drugs. With today's more liberal tendencies towards the possibilities of marijuana's potential usage for medical treatment, many NFL players and executives alike are voicing their support for the drug's decriminalization. And through extensive research on the drug's ongoing situation within the NFL, one can easily see how controversial of a debate this quarrel presents. Therefore, it is essential that both sides of the dispute are presented in order to ensure that both arguments are documented. However, although supporters claim that legalizing recreational and medical marijuana would significantly benefit the NFL's playing population, decriminalizing the drug would, in all actuality, have the adverse effects of causing brain degradation, allowing potential for abuse, and setting poor examples for the younger fan base, among others.

Since elementary school, I have been an avid fan and supporter of the NFL. I recall first hearing about the marijuana situation within the league back in 2010. At that point, former NFL running back Tiki Barber was discussing how beneficial marijuana usage was to him dealing with all of the injuries that he sustained while playing. Having been raised in a conservative family, with my father working in law enforcement, I found it strange that the league was even openly discussing marijuana usage. In fact, at the time, I was even in full support of the league's tough stance on drug and marijuana usage because I believed that marijuana was an extremely dangerous substance that needed to remain criminalized. For the most part, my harsh stance on the drug has subsided due to the research that I've done strictly out of curiosity. However, this research hasn't led to my skepticism's full disappearance. Since I am simply a fan with no medical background in dealing with controlled substances and their potential effects on users, I must say that I am not extremely qualified to be writing about this subject. However, I will therefore be utilizing and citing numerous sources that will be able to provide ample amounts of support towards both sides of the argument, including my own stance. 

The first source that I found that perfectly pertains to the ongoing marijuana scandal is the article "Banned, but Bountiful; Marijuana Coveted by NFL Players as Invaluable Painkiller." Written by Mike Freeman, the article offers an in-depth look into both sides of the marijuana scandal by analyzing how marijuana usage has been credited with helping to reduce pain levels from injuries by the players, yet would also take a long time to be implemented and would have the potential to hamper the athletes' performance on the field. Mike Freeman also does an outstanding job of incorporating quotes and research figures from players, coaches, and analysts alike, such as when he cites former running back Jamal Anderson as saying that "It's at least sixty percent now, and that's a bare minimum." Anderson was discussing his estimation of the percentage of the current number of players who use cannabis, and his sixty percent figure should be quite alarming to NFL executives. Another quote that Mike Freeman provides for the readers in his article is when he cites an unnamed NFL owner as saying that "Most owners view marijuana as a destructive drug ... ", a statement that illustrates how most of the owners are still in favor of keeping marijuana criminalized. Both of these stated quotes definitely have their individual biases, as most players would arguably agree with legalization whilst most owners would be in favor of marijuana's criminalization. In fact, Mike Freeman himself has a noticeable bias as he is a renowned NFL analyst who is frequently invited into team locker rooms for interviews. With his closeness to the players themselves, it is definitely easy to see how Mike Freeman would be more inclined towards aiding them in their plights. However, it must be noted that Mike Freeman does an admirable job of attempting to remain neutral in the general debate. Similarly, Eric Goldschein's "Percent of NFL Players Who Smoke Pot/ NFL Drug Testing" provides estimations and percentages on the number of current NFL players who use marijuana. This is extremely interesting as, for the first time, a document was found that focused primarily on the number of users. After careful research with regards to interviewing current and former players, as well as analyzing the perceived trends of the drug's usage in the league, the article concluded that the figure was roughly around eighty to eighty-five percent. Eric Goldschein, who did a fine job at remaining neutral, isn't a renowned journalist, so his analysis provides the debate with fresh ammunition. The data that was provided by Goldschein is extremely beneficial as it allows for a definite understanding of the drug's popularity.   

Additionally, Jason La Canfora's "Time for Roger Goodell and NFL to get real about players' marijuana use", offers a strictly pro-decriminalization outlook on the marijuana controversy. In this article, Jason La Canfora conveys his disgust with the recent suspension of wide receiver Josh Gordon, a player who failed his drug test and was consequently suspended for the whole year. La Canfora makes a valid point when comparing the punishment that Gordon received for his marijuana usage to the original punishment that running back Ray Rice received for punching his wife in an elevator. Ray Rice was initially suspended for only two games, a fact that correctly calls into question the NFL's overall system with issuing punishment. Jason La Canfora then goes on to discuss marijuana's beneficial aspects and how they can assist players who are dealing with injuries. Instead of using highly addictive pain killers, La Canfora argues, players should simply be allowed to use marijuana recreationally and away from team facilities. However, the alleged benefits that were presented by La Canfora weren't taken from any medical studies. Another interesting fact that La Canfora discusses in his article is that the marijuana standards for football players are a lot stricter than for other career professionals. For instance, La Canfora cites Adam Schaffer as saying how the standards for marijuana tolerance "For air traffic controllers, its three-times higher.", a statement that is extremely ironic given the fact that air traffic controllers have a lot more responsibility and are entrusted with the lives of others. Jason La Canfora also cites Adam Schaffer as saying how " ... it's a win-win situation, as you shouldn't be suspending your best players for doing something everyone else is doing.", a quote that does an outstanding job at conveying an ethical ideal to the audience. Similarly to Mike Freeman, Jason La Canfora is a prominent NFL analyst and sports writer who is also given privileged access to team locker rooms for interviews and data collection. These powerful asset5s allow him to be able to connect with the players and sympathize with their struggles. Therefore, it can be assumed that Jason La Canfora offers a bias that is unanimously towards the players, especially given his support for their wanted decriminalization of marijuana within the NFL.

Patrick Hruby's "The NFL's Hazy Logic on Marijuana" offers more support on the side of decriminalization. In his article, Patrick Hruby offers a comedic approach towards the issue of marijuana usage within the NFL by offering some ridiculous comparisons. For instance, one of his subtitles is titled "Should pro-football ban Chicken McNuggets, too?", an obviously absurd comparison that conveys a sense of how foolhardy the league's marijuana criminalization is to him. Another example of his comedic inanity is when Patrick Hruby offers his answer to sustaining a player's performance during a game by claiming that they should simply refrain from "getting blazed." Throughout the article, it is particularly apparent that Patrick Hruby is also frustrated by the status of marijuana in the league. To him, it is a no-brainer that players should be allowed to use marijuana as a means through which to preserve their level of play. Hruby quotes how in a 2011 survey of retired NFL players, " ... more than half of the respondents had taken opioids during their professional careers and that nearly three-quarters of that group had misused the drug." Rather than focus their attention on punishing their players for using marijuana, a drug that he likens to alcohol, Patrick Hruby is simply arguing for the NFL to become more "humane" by allowing marijuana to be used to treat the " ... chronic orthopedic pain" that many players are dealing with. Patrick Hruby is definitely biased towards the player's cause, a fact that can be proven by simply taking into account the news agency and online journal that writes for. The Atlantic is a notoriously liberal online journal that frequently criticizes conservative stances on politics, religion, the economy, and others. When acknowledging this factor, it become increasingly apparent as to why Patrick Hruby is in complete support of decriminalization and won't stand to at least concede the opposition's argument. In addition, Emily Gray Brosious provides her decriminalization support in her article "Former NFL Players Push for Medical Marijuana." This article discusses how eager NFL players are with regards to legalizing recreational marijuana use. Emily Brosious asserts that many NFL players view marijuana as a healthy painkiller, and that the drug should therefore be decriminalized within the league. Emily Brosious is a well-known journalist who has a reputation for being very biased towards the players' desires. Therefore, it comes as no surprise that she is advocating for marijuana's decriminalization because of the harm that the punishments cause for the players. This document provides suitable analysis as it displays the voices and concerns of the players themselves, opinions that are very valuable to the general argument.

As with any hot-topic or debatable issue, there is always a major force that conflicts with its opposite stance. Emmett Lee Gill's "The blunt Truth: Marijuana Use by College Athletes and the Role of Social Workers" is an article that discusses how abundant marijuana usage is amongst college athletes and the roles that social workers should take in handling the situation. The author exemplifies how a successful student athlete had his career ruined because of his addiction to smoking marijuana, an example that clearly showcases how marijuana usage has been an issue on the college level for quite some time. This issue, as the article correctly predicted, has substantially increased. The author, being a parent, definitely has a bias towards the criminalization of marijuana as he doesn't want to see anymore students' careers ruined by addiction to marijuana. What this article essentially proves is that marijuana can destroy one's motivation and abruptly end one's career, factors that clearly display some of the drug's harmful side-effects. Furthermore, Timothy Epstein's "NFL Compromises on New Doping, Substances Policy" deliberates the changes that the National Football League has made to its marijuana testing protocols. Having originally been fifteen nanograms per milliliter, the league decided to change the figure for which a player would fail his marijuana drug test to thirty-five nanograms. This amendment, the article argues, gives players more opportunities to abuse marijuana since they now have a wider margin of error. Despite having been published roughly two years ago, this article still holds relevancy as it outlines the current policy that the NFL uses with regards to marijuana. The author, has made a point of remaining moderate on the issue, however his language can still be interpreted as being in favor of having marijuana remain outlawed. This, in turn, displays how lenient the NFL is already willing to be on marijuana usage, a fact that can lead to meny potential problems with regards to substance abuse if more clemency is allowed. 

Likewise, Dylan Bennett provides a piece on how dangerous substance abuse can be. In his article "Harm Reduction and NFL Drug Policy", Dylan Bennett contends the adverse effects of playing football and how drug usage is an addition to that danger. This source was written on April 15th, 2013, a time during which marijuana's usage in the National Football League was being publicly displayed and debated. This article, having been written by a doctor, does have a bias as it displays marijuana as being a drug that isn't as dangerous as some of the others, but still a drug nonetheless. Bennett's article discusses the medical side-effects of drugs and the harm that lost employment causes for football players, notions that are exemplified through his statement that "Along with the vast amount of concussions that players sustain each year, the brain cells can further be deteriorated through the use of marijuana." Similar to smoking cigarettes, he argues, marijuana still has adverse effects on certain organs, primarily the brain. In fact, some former players even agree with the notion that marijuana should remain criminalized, a fact that is surprising given the overall playing population's universal support of the drug. Furthermore, in Jim Caple's "NFL & Marijuana", a video that was shown on the NFL Network, one can find a former player himself adding his unorthodox input to the marijuana debacle within the National Football League. This video, having been recorded in 2016, is also extremely useful due to its modern discussions and implications. In the video, Mark Brunell conveys his primary reason for wanting marijuana to remain outlawed; legalizing the drug would set a bad precedent for younger fans who idolize the sport. "Kids grow-up wanting to be like their favorite professional football players, and these kids will pick-up the bad habit of recreationally using marijuana if the league allows their heroes to openly use it," Mark Brunell states, as he also goes on to discuss marijuana's negative side-effects.

An article that attempts to foreshadow the future of marijuana's legality within the league is imperative towards establishing a position and predicting trends, and that is exactly what David Steele's "NFL's Marijuana Stance Evolving, but Don't Hold Your Breath for Lift of Ban" does. This article discusses the changing landscape of the marijuana debacle as it illustrates how the liberal views of the current generation are propelling the decriminalization of the drug. However because of the conservative tendencies of the individual team owners, the article claims that marijuana will remain outlawed for at least a few more decades. David Steele is a journalist who has actually been given numerous interviews with many team owners. Because of this connection, David Steele is the perfect man to write about the owner's views and beliefs. He is, however, also close to many of the players as well, so his article doesn't display a bias that is favorable to any particular side. This document is also extremely unique in that it offers the team owners' perspectives on the marijuana situation, one that inevitably will lead to support of the traditional structure because of generational differences. "Most of the owners have publicly condemned marijuana usage, so don't expect the drug's legalization to occur without fierce resistance," Steele reiterates.

In conclusion, although supporters claim that legalizing recreational and medical marijuana use would significantly benefit the NFL's playing population, decriminalizing the drug would, in all actuality, have the adverse effects of causing brain degradation, allowing for the potential for abuse, and setting poor examples for the younger fan base. The National Football League has been struggling with internal divisions on its official stance on the legalization of marijuana usage amongst its players for quite some time now. Because of the sensitivity of this argument, as well as its general debated status on the national, political level, the question on whether or not the league should decriminalize marijuana usage remains extremely disputable in that it attracts immense amounts of interest and support for the two opposing stances. The question of marijuana's decriminalization is also extremely debatable in that it illustrates a conflict between classes, with the lower class players attempting to challenge the upper class owners' cemented stance in its usage. I, personally, have concluded that marijuana usage should remain criminalized because of its unknown and unproven benefits, its adverse side-effects on the brain that aren't suitable for players recovering from injury, and the negative influence that it'll have on young, aspiring fans and adolescents. Nonetheless, the status of whether marijuana usage within the NFL should remain decriminalized or not will continue to remain a hefty debate topic until enough medical research is provided to support a particular side. Until then, we as NFL fans must continue to strive towards helping our beloved football players by encouraging them to partake in actions that are only beneficial for them. Doing so, at the end of the day, is the least that we can do.  

          

