NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell open to the idea of players using medical marijuana in states where the drug is legal Medical marijuana is a banned substance in the NFL, even for players in states where it is legal Many argue marijuana could better treat pain for NFL players than prescription narcotics Former NFL player suspects half of all current players currently use marijuana

NFL Commissioner Roger Godell said last
week that he was not entirely opposed
to allowing NFL players to use marijuana
in places where it is not illegal

NFL players could soon be allowed to use marijuana to treat pain if they are in states where the drug has been legalized for either medical or recreational use, the league's commissioner said last week.

Currently, marijuana is on a list of banned substances prohibited under the NFL's substance abuse program.

However, the marijuana recently has been legalized for medical and recreational use in a number of states, including Colorado, Washington and Arizona. But because the drug is on the league's list of banned substances, players living in those states could face consequences from the NFL even if they are using the drug legally.

Pain: Much of Percy Harvin's career
has been plagued by migraine headaches,
which could be treated by medical marijuana

'I don't know what's going to develop as far as the next opportunity for medicine to evolve and to help either deal with pain or help deal with injuries but we will continue to support the evolution of medicine,' NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said in an interview with the Associated Press on January 7.
Marijuana has been approved in several states to treat varying ailments, including chronic pain. Given the addictive qualities of other pain medications NFL players often
are given to treat the pain caused by injuries sustained on the field, there is a growing number of people advocating the use of marijuana, which doesn't have the same addictive qualities.

'I would just think that the use of marijuana for pain management, it would be a far better outcome to me than it would be for the abuse of heavy narcotics like pills of [Vicodin] or Percocet  or whatever the pill of choice is for pain in the NFL,' 7-time Pro-Bowler and Super Bowl champion Lomas Brown said on the Morning Show after Goodell made his comments about being open to allowing players to use marijuana.
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