The NFL and the NFL Players Association have agreed to form two new joint medical committees, one of which is to study the potential use of marijuana as a pain-management tool for players and review teams' policies and practices for the use of prescription medication by players.
"I think it's a proud day for the NFL and the NFLPA to come together on these issues in a very public way," Allen Sills, the league's chief medical officer, said in a phone interview. "I think it demonstrates the spirit of cooperation we have around our health and safety issues …. Both of these committees are about providing the best health care we can to players."
The two committees being formed are a joint pain management committee and a comprehensive mental health and wellness committee. Both sides cautioned that the pain management committee is not a marijuana-focused committee. Its members will study a variety of pain-management issues and strategies for players, officials said. But the prospective use of marijuana for pain management by players will be among those issues examined, both sides said.
Each NFL team will appoint a pain management specialist by the 2019 season to work with players, the league and union said.
Bravo NFL, a small step and a smart one in the right direction. It deserves to be studied as a potential tool for pain management.
