When it comes to NFL players dealing with the pain that results from the nature of their physically demanding job, it’s really a pick your poison scenario: painkillers or marijuana.
Both products can be addictive and have side effects. Painkilling injections such as Toradol have more known side effects than marijuana, yet marijuana is banned by the league. More and more states across the US are beginning to legalize marijuana for medical use, though the NFL still has it listed as a banned substance.
In a survey taken by ESPN, players said they felt allowing marijuana would result in fewer painkillers being used.
Here are the results according to ESPN’s survey of 226 players:
In the survey, 61 percent of players said they believed fewer players would take pain-killing shots such as Toradol if marijuana were a legal option. Toradol is the most common anti-inflammatory taken by NFL players, and 64 percent of the survey’s respondents said they had taken an injection of it or another pain killer.
Marijuana has less known side effects than Toradol, and 41 percent of players surveyed thought it would control pain more effectively. Nearly 60 percent are worried about the long-term effects of chemical painkillers, and 42 percent believe they have had a teammate become addicted to chemical painkillers.
ESPN also noted that a majority of players believe drug tests — which are conducted once between April 20 and Aug. 9 — are easy to beat. 71 percent of players responding also said they believe marijuana should be legalized.
The league has good reason to be concerned about players using drugs of abuse, and they consider marijuana to be among such drugs. But if painkillers such as Toradol are ultimately worse for athletes, the league should maybe reconsider its stance. We know there are certainly many athletes who agree.
