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Last week, the MLB made some major waves when it announced it was removing marijuana from its list of banned substances to allow minor league players to toke up at their leisure shortly before taking a half-measure that will allow major leaguers to use CBD products.
It would appear the move was at least partially motivated by the need to address the ongoing opioid crisis that appeared to play a role in the death of Tyler Skaggs, as athletes around the sporting world have been forced to turn to painkillers to treat the wear and tear that comes with devoting your life to playing at the professional level—especially in the NFL.
It’s a well-known fact that football players have had to resort to popping pills to ease the pain that comes with playing in the league, and last year, we learned the NFLPA was making a concerted effort to get the powers that be to remove marijuana from its list of no-nos as part of the upcoming collective bargaining agreement.
The news came shortly after Chris Long revealed he relied on weed for pain management, and if Martellus Bennet is to be believed, he’s far from the only one, as he estimated almost 90% of players smoke the reefer and that the majority of them do so because of various football-induced ailments they’ve been forced to endure.
Now, it appears reason may finally prevail, as Jerry Jones took a break from ripping into Jason Garrett during his most recent chat with 105.3 The Fan and implied it’s a virtual certainty that cannabis will finally be permitted once the next CBA is finalized (which is slated to happen in 2021).
Jerry Jones said on @1053thefan of marijuana prohibition in NFL: “I think that you should expect and will expect an adjustment” of league’s policy toward marijuana, it becoming more in line with how society is trending toward usage. League, player union may lift ban in next CBA.
— Michael Gehlken (@GehlkenNFL) December 13, 2019
The NFL’s current policy reared its ugly head last year after David Irving was hit with an indefinite suspension following multiple violations and has seemed to live up to his promise to refuse to return to football unless the league allows him to take advantage of the benefits of the Devil’s lettuce.
All I can say is it’s about damn time.