NFL Awards $1 Million for Studies on Cannabinoids’ Effects on Pain Management for Athletes
The National Football League (NFL) is awarding $1 million in research funding to two teams of medical researchers to study the effects of cannabinoids on pain management and neuroprotection from concussion in elite football players.
The NFL recently announced that two medical teams, one from the University of California, San Diego and the other from University of Regina in Canada, will receive $1 million to study the effect of naturally produced cannabinoids for pain management and neuroprotection from concussion and participation in contact sports. The program was launched by the NFL and the NFL Players Association’s (NFL-PA) Joint Pain Management Committee in June 2021, which selected these two medical teams out of 106 research proposals (1,2). The projects will reportedly take three years to conduct.
“We know there’s been a lot of interest in this area, but we did not feel like there was a lot of great solid research on the benefits of marijuana, CBD and treating acute and chronic pain,” said Dr. Allen Sills, NFL chief medical officer. “So, that’s why we wanted to try to contribute to the body of science in this area.”
Dr. Kevin Hill, the Director of Addiction Psychiatry at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, a cannabis researcher and author, and the co-chair of the NFL-NFLPA Joint Pain Management Committee further explained their desire to conduct research (1). “We really want to know, do they work? And every day I meet with patients who are interested in cannabinoids and it’s the same thing, we really don’t know the answers to that,” said Dr. Hill. “So, it becomes a very complicated risk/benefit discussion. So I’m thrilled to be a part of something that actually is going to get toward finding some answers to the questions that everybody’s been talking about for years.”
Many NFL players over the years have inquired about the benefits of cannabis and cannabinoids. Several former players are involved in the medical-cannabis business and have either started their own brands, invested in companies, or been hired as ambassadors.
According to the press release (1), one study will be led by Dr. Thomas Marcotte, Dr. Mark Wallace, and researchers at the University of California San Diego and will investigate the effects of cannabinoids on pain and recovery from sports-related injuries in elite athletes.
The other study will be led by Dr. J. Patrick Neary and researchers at the University of Regina and will study the naturally produced cannabinoids for pain management and neuroprotection from concussion and participation in contact sports.
References
Ep 24, Part I: Data Transparency in Cannabis Testing with Yasha Khan
November 21st 2024Evan Friedmann interviews Yasha Khan, co-founder of MCR Labs, about his journey into the cannabis industry and his efforts to promote transparency and integrity in laboratory practices. Yasha discusses the origins of MCR Labs, which began in Massachusetts to meet the needs of the soon-to-be legal medical cannabis market. He explains the challenges faced, including result manipulation by labs and the impact on public health. Yasha's Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) project aimed to gather testing data from 37 states, revealed significant discrepancies in potency and mold results. Despite some states' reluctance to share data, Yasha has made much of this data public, leading to collaborative research and publications on various aspects of cannabis testing.
Assessing Cannabis as a Harm Reduction Strategy: Insights from a Large-Scale Study
November 19th 2024A New Zealand study aimed to assess cannabis use as a harm reduction tool. Findings highlight lifestyle factors, and suggest cannabis-focused harm reduction strategies in reducing other substance use such as alcohol.
Ep 23, Part III: Accreditation in the Cannabis Industry with Susan Audino
October 24th 2024In Part III of this episode, host Evan Friedmann is joined by Susan Audino, PhD, founder of S.A. Audino & Associates, LLC, and co-founder of Saturn Scientific, LLC, to examine the complexities of sampling in the cannabis industry, emphasizing the need for proper sampling plans, and methods.
