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 III: Data Transparency in Cannabis Testing with Yasha Kahn
December 26th 2024In the final part of this episode, Evan Friedmann and Yasha Kahn discuss the need for a national entity to centralize cannabis data collection, moving from snapshot data to continuous updates. They emphasize the importance of accurate lab data and adverse event tracking, suggesting QR codes on packaging to report issues. Yasha suggests harsher consequences for result manipulation and suggests collaboration between state departments and federal entities to support underfunded regulators. They also discuss the potential benefits of off-the-shelf testing and the importance of stability testing. Finally, Yasha shares his top three reading recommendations for the audience.
Ep 24, Part II: Data Transparency in Cannabis Testing with Yasha Kahn
December 12th 2024Evan Friedmann and Yasha Kahn, co-founder of MCR Labs, discuss the discrepancies between current regulations and data on mycotoxins and pesticides in cannabis products. They highlight the need for updated regulations based on new data, emphasizing the importance of accurate testing and labeling. They also discuss the issue of result manipulation, particularly in THC content, and the need for public health officials to address this. Yasha suggests making testing data public to enhance oversight and suggests a national entity to manage this data for better consistency and public safety.
