In today’s world, it seems like everything and everyone is changing on a daily basis.  With the new laws and people’s views on different things in general, our population as a whole seems to be changing for the benefit of our newer generation. However, there are some changes that need to be made for the betterment of our people. In particular, I am talking about the most glorified sport in the U.S. Yes, this sport is known as football. People from every state love to spend their money on jerseys and games, but they have no clue what some of the players have to go through on a daily basis. It is very common in football for an injury to occur and almost every time to solve this problem the player is fed every pain killer you can think of. This is an issue and here’s why, these pain killers are highly addictive and can lead to many health problems. There is an alternative however, and that alternative is marijuana but guess what? It’s illegal to use any kind of marijuana in the NFL.

This argument of why is marijuana not legal in the NFL is between two groups. The coaches and players and then the other side is the NFL commissioner and mostly everyone that works in the NFL office. What I don’t understand more than anything is how the use of marijuana is legal in some states but even the NFL players who live in those states are still under contract with the NFL to not use marijuana and will be punished if caught doing so. I’ve pulled from many different articles and video clips and the general census from players and coaches is that it should be legal to use marijuana for medical purposes. The reason they should be used for medical purposes is simple. Players are having serious issues with pain killers, “all over our country people are addicted, and that's happening in our locker rooms.” (Kounang, 2016) This comment was drawn from a player in the NFL and his main argument was that these athletes are suffering from the use of pain killers and they need something else for the benefit of the guys who make the NFL so much money. One player, in particular, claimed his retirement was solely because of his frustration with the marijuana policy, “With three failures of league drug tests on his record, the former All-Pro even admitted to the Miami Herald last week that his desire to continue smoking pot contributed to his decision to retire.” (Gallo, 2009) This All-Pro player’s name is Ricky Williams, he led the NFL in rushing in 2002.  In this case, the NFL probably suffered the most in this example because Ricky Williams was most likely helping the NFL bring in a lot of money through sales of his jerseys and such. If the policy on marijuana were to be altered before his retirement who knows how long he could of played for.

There are many players around the National Football League who have voiced their opinions on the strict rules about marijuana in their league but one who may be in the spot light the most when discussing this topic is Randy Moss. Randy Moss is known for rebelling against the NFL for not allowing the use of marijuana. He also has had a very rough past from growing up in the rougher parts of West Virginia so his opinions and views are questioned by many but, you have to consider the fact that he was one of the greatest to ever play the game so maybe he just knows what it takes. “I think the NFL just needs to loosen up the rules and let everybody live.” (Dimengo, 2016) This is what Moss had to say when asked about his thoughts on the marijuana issue in the NFL. The funny thing when discussing Moss is that he never actually got in to any marijuana related trouble while playing professional football. He did however get in trouble while in college at Florida State University. He was kicked off the team and chose to attend Marshal University before going pro. (Gallo, 2009) Moss is also someone who a lot of players throughout the NFL look up to and him long with many other greats in the past have come out and said they used marijuana throughout their career. This is also another reason why so many players use it now. You have to understand, if you’re a first-year player and one of the older guys on the team comes up to you and says, “hey you might want to try using this to get rid of your pains” you’re most likely going to try it because obviously they know what they’re talking about.

Another argument from the player’s side of things is that people that use marijuana are going to use pot no matter what policy the NFL puts on it. These players that use regardless of the rules are just tired of getting fined and suspended for something that is being used by so many players across the league. Jamal Anderson, a former running back in the NFL, claimed that during the years that he was actively playing in the league, forty to fifty percent of all the players in the league used marijuana. (Freeman, 2015) If so many players are using this “drug” there must be something to it, right? Mike Freeman who writes for Bleacher Report surveyed sixteen players who were drafted in the 2015 draft and of the sixteen that were drafted fifteen said that they frequently use marijuana. All fifteen also followed by saying that they use marijuana to help relieve pain and soreness and in some cases, they would use it for major injuries. (Freeman, 2015) Some argue that players use the excuse of marijuana easing pain just to give them an excuse to get high but according to CNN, marijuana has a scientific track record. “THC is the chemical ingredient that makes people feel high. However, it can also provide relief from pain.” (Kounang, 2016) Also, most players claim that using marijuana helps them relax. These players go through tough practices day in and day out. They also lift weights at least four times a week and then play once a week during the season. All of this time adds up and can take a toll on a person mentally. Therefore some players look for something to help them relax other than pills that could possibly harm them more than actually help. Once again though it seems that this simple logic makes too much sense for the NFL to step up and make a change.

The science behind marijuana can be complicated when it comes to being used for medicinal purposes. However, doctors know the risk of pain killers these players are receiving and they are still handed out like candy. So no matter what the science says, if players are saying its benefits then why not try it out or at least do a test run for one season? As said, it’s obvious that pain killers can be very dangerous for these athletes. The dangers can vary for each person but most cases claim that all the pain killers can cause depression and in a lot of cases these athletes become addicted. “Anderson said that a number of players from the time he played are addicted to pain pills. "Not a few guys," he said. "A lot of guys."” (Freeman, 2015) This addiction stems from the brutality of the sport, but a player shouldn’t be given heavy pain killers for minor injuries but that’s what’s happening all over the league. This is why the plea for using marijuana without any repercussion is becoming viral. “States carrying a medical marijuana law, a JAMA Internal Medicine report reveals, have a 25 percent lower number of prescription painkiller overdoses and deaths compared to states that don’t.” (Willard, 2016) Though there hasn’t been any pain killer related suicides with the NFL this stat alone shows how substituting marijuana for pain killers in the general public makes a huge impact so why not make a change? The people behind the shoulder pads and helmets aren’t any different than regular people other than their athletic ability. It’s not humane to know that there may be a better solution out there for someone’s health but refuse to change just because of how the NFL may “look” to some people.

Along with the players the coaches to want change. Most coaches don’t come straight out and voice their opinion just because they don’t want to get fired for rebelling against their bosses but many have said they are concerned with the use of pain killers by the players they coach.

These drug and painkiller problems don’t just appear in the NFL either, from personal knowledge it seems like the problem comes from colleges too. I live with football players and I’m around them a good bit, and they explain all the time how hard football and all the training involved can be on their body. They are constantly looking for something to ease their aches and pains and simple treatment from athletic trainers sometimes doesn’t get the job done. If this doesn’t work, then they may turn to marijuana to help but again there’s that possibility of getting in trouble in the NCAA as well just like the NFL. This is when doctors turn to giving out pain meds, and they’re not at fault it’s just the way it is because not enough research has been done on safer options.

One of the reasons the NFL committee is holding out on making significant changes is because of the message it might send to the public if marijuana use is allowed in their league. Although marijuana has started to become more socially accepted over the years there is still a lot of people out in the public who don’t like the thought of it becoming legal everywhere. Even with marijuana becoming legal in states like Colorado, California, and now Florida there are still a lot of government officials and states in our country that cringe when imagining marijuana becoming legal everywhere. They would hate to lose fans, money, and support from high up officials just because they changed their policy on the use of marijuana for their players. The thing is, even though marijuana is illegal in most states, just like any business, it is not mandatory by law to test your employees for the use of drugs. Also, if you do choose to test your employees and they happen to fail, you still don’t have to punish them if they end up failing. (Benes, 2016) When the NFL makes changes to their policies a lot of times they look in to these sorts of things. The crazy thing is no one would even have to know if they were to get rid of the policy in all. These players don’t want their image to be a bad one just like the NFL.

The NFL still claims to have done research on making a change despite their concern of losing fans and money . A NFL Players Association leader said that “when it comes to the issue of medical marijuana. . . we made the decision a few months ago to form a pain management committee. . . . We’ve now asked that Mackey-White group to create a subcommittee just dealing with the issue of pain and treating pain as its own separate, identifiable ailment, as opposed to it being a consequence of some other injury.”(Maske, 2017) This is a step in the right direction but from different pieces I have read I feel that they still are a long ways away from making a change that would allow there to be no consequence for using marijuana. There is also ten league officials in the NFL front office who claim their drug policy is at the top of their priority list going in to this next football season. Supposedly, they say the punishment for the use of marijuana may end up being reduced after it’s all said and done. One official said his argument right now is to change the policy from suspending a player to simply fining the player who has failed a drug test for marijuana. (Rapaport, 2016) I think the players would respond well this change if it does end up happening but the ultimate goal from their point of view is for it to be completely legal and not even have to deal with fines. Not every person in the NFL gets paid millions of dollars each year and for the players who don’t those simple fines can add up quick and make their life very difficult.

Just like with every argument there’s always going to be someone who opposes the majority. In this case the opposing view point is that these players would be setting a bad example for our younger generation and make kids feel like it perfectly fine to use drugs. The only thing is that if it becomes legal everywhere then it won’t be considered a street drug anymore so that argument would then become invalid. Just like anything bad in the world, if you are the parent of your child you still can control what you tell your children is ok and not ok to try. Some athletes smoke cigarettes but that doesn’t mean every kid that looks up to that person will pick up that habit just because their favorite player does.

When looking at everything from a neutral point of view it’s hard not to side with the players and their point of view on this issue. They’re the one who makes the money for the NFL Without the players the NFL has nothing and no money. Say someone were to create a new league and allow the use of marijuana, and every player who uses marijuana in the NFL left and went and played for this other league. You’d have half the players in the NFL gone in a flash. The NFL needs to make this change for the health of their players and ultimately that should be there main priority because without them they are nothing and do not exist.
