NFL awards $1 million to two cannabis research initiatives

The National Football League (NFL) is taking another step forward by awarding funds to two cannabis research initiatives focused on the effectiveness of cannabis for treating pain.

The NFL announced in a Feb. 1 press release that they are providing $1 million to two different researchers at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) and the University of Regina (UR), located in Canada will. Both research groups will focus on how cannabinoids can help with general pain management, with some other targeted studies.

A statement on this subject was given by Dr. Kevin Hill, co-chair of the NFL-NFLPA Joint Pain Management Committee, director of addiction psychiatry at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, associate professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. according to dr Hill will see positive results from this decision to further investigate cannabis use for NFL players. “The NFL-NFLPA Joint Pain Management Committee is thrilled with the results of this process. We received over 100 proposals from leading clinicians and researchers from around the world,” said Dr. Hill. “The NFL is committed to advancing the science of pain management and performance to improve player health and safety.”

dr Allen Sills, the NFL’s chief medical officer, also shared his thoughts on the matter with the hope that these initiatives could form the basis for many more studies to come. “As with the league’s broader health and safety approach, we want to ensure our players receive care that reflects the most up-to-date medical consensus,” said Dr. sills “While the burden of proof is high for NFL players looking to understand the impact of a medical decision on their performance, we are grateful to have the opportunity to fund these science-based studies of cannabinoid use that lead to the may uncover data-based evidence that could impact our players’ pain management.”

The NFL-NFLPA Joint Pain Management Committee (PMC) called for research proposals in June 2021, urging researchers to “supplement the PMC’s knowledge of pain management and athletic performance.” The committee received a total of 106 submissions, which were narrowed down to 10 finalists by the NFL Research and Innovation Committee. After oral presentations and written breakdowns, the NFL selected the final two research groups.

The UCSD study, titled Effects of Cannabinoids on Pain and Recovery from Sports-Related Injuries in Elite Athletes: A Randomized Clinical Trial, is led by Dr. Thomas Marcottee, Mark Wallace and other university colleagues. Their approach to explore the therapeutic and adverse effects of THC, CBD, or THC/CBD products by allowing participants to vape after gaming-related injuries. “Our team is excited about this funding to conduct a real-time, systematic study of professional athletes that should further shed light on the many anecdotal reports that cannabis is helpful in reducing post-competition pain. ‘ Wallace said.

The UR study, titled Naturally Produced Cannabinoids for Pain Management and Neuroprotection from Concussion and Participation in Contact Sports, is led by Dr. J. Patrick Neary and other researchers at the College and British Columbia. Their main goal is also to study the effects of THC or CBD as a form of pain management and how it reduces the need for opioid prescriptions. Second, the “neuroprotective properties” of cannabis used to treat concussions will also be explored. “The prevention and treatment of concussion is the focus of my research. So I’m very pleased to have the NFL’s support for this project,” shared Dr. Neary with. “Our interdisciplinary research team believes that different cannabinoid formulations found in medicinal cannabis have the potential to help athletes suffering from the long-term acute and chronic effects of concussion. Our research will also work to show that cannabinoids can be used as an alternative to opioids for pain management. Ultimately, this study has the potential to change not only the lives of current and former NFL players, but the lives of anyone who may have suffered a concussion.”

The NFL press release specifically states that the results of these studies “will have no impact on the co-administered substances of abuse policy and program operating under the current NFL-NFLPA Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA).”