With many National Football League (NFL) stars participating in marijuana-related businesses, chances are they would know what Zkittlez feminized seeds are. The trending question is, Can NFL players smoke weed? The answer is: that it depends.
The NFL has been very harsh in its attitude toward drug use. It tested players at least once during the off-season between April and August under the previous Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA). Throughout the regular season, ten athletes underwent random tests every week.
Punishments were severe. Those who failed the first test earned a referral to the NFL’s substance abuse program. A second positive evaluation meant a two-game check fine, followed by four checks after a third infringement.
Fourth violations came with a four-game suspension. Fifth and sixth transgressions resulted in a ten-game and year-long ban, respectively.
If you asked players, “Can you smoke weed in the NFL?” before the release of the new CBA, the answer would be negative. Many professionals received multiple penalties for failing drug tests.
Former running back Ricky Williams faced five suspensions during his career, including throughout the 2006 season, for testing positive for marijuana. Williams continued his association with the herb after retiring. In 2018, he hosted a Super Bowl party, providing guests with marijuana.
Williams is among many players known for using weed while playing in the NFL. Others include Randy Moss, Martavis Bryant, Percy Harvin, Randy Gregory, Shaun Smith, and Josh Gordon.
CHANGES TO THE COLLECTIVE BARGAINING AGREEMENT
In April 2021, changes to the CBA allowed players to smoke marijuana in the off-season. Does the NFL test for weed during that period as it used to do? Yes, but the main cannabis compound is excluded. The league no longer checks for Delta 9 THC-carboxylic acid in its mandatory testing.
The substance only comes into play in August, when training camp opens, but with more leeway. Under the new CBA, the NFL increased the positive test threshold from 35 to 150 nanograms/milliliter.
Other productive steps include separating cannabis and opioids from performance-enhancing drugs in its ‘Substances of Abuse’ list. Players must now undergo a treatment program instead of facing immediate suspension under the new policy.
Those who fail to cooperate with random testing and don’t comply with a treatment plan face a fine. They also move into stage two of the intervention program. Non-compliance results in a suspension.
The new policy may benefit players like Laremy Tunsil. He almost missed out on joining the Miami Dolphins in 2016. During the draft, a last-minute leaked 2014 video showed the offensive tackle smoking marijuana, but the Dolphins found no other evidence of drug use.
MARIJUANA USE IN TREATING INJURIES
Why is weed legal in the NFL now, even if only during the off-season? These developments indicate the league’s recognition of players using cannabis to treat and recover from injuries, other than smoking it recreationally.
The sport requires athletes to push their bodies beyond the limits of regular physical activities, increasing injury risk.
Studies show that the cannabinoids in cannabis, such as tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD), may have medicinal properties. They can consume in the form of CBD gummies or THC gummies.
Trials are limited as marijuana is still a Schedule 1 controlled substance. Researchers need U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) approval to conduct them.
The Institute of Medicine (IOM) critically reviewed existing research on THC and concluded that cannabinoids could provide mild to moderate pain relief.
Many medical marijuana advocates at the IOM’s public sessions spoke about how cannabis helped them with their symptoms. Unfortunately, there’s no conclusive confirmation of the herb’s benefits as ethical and logistical difficulties limit human pain experiments.
Besides the changes to the NFL weed policy, it seeks to explore weed’s therapeutic potential, especially as an option to replace opioid painkillers.
In February 2022, the NFL awarded $1 million in research funding to the University of Regina and the University of California San Diego medical researchers.
The two teams will study cannabinoid effects in managing pain and offering neuroprotection from concussion in professional football players.
MARIJUANA AND NFL PLAYERS
So, the answer to the question, “Can NFL players smoke weed?” is a conditional yes. They may use the herb freely during the off-season but must keep within the stipulated threshold when the season begins.
Many players would welcome the change, including those involved with marijuana in other capacities. Some businesses hire them as ambassadors of medical marijuana, while others, like Ricky Williams, have their own weed brands.
With many National Football League (NFL) stars participating in marijuana-related businesses, chances are they would know what Zkittlez feminized seeds (more info here) are.
