Super Bowl Champ: CBD Can Solve NFL's Opioid Problem
*By Jacqueline Corba*
CBD has the potential to combat two of the biggest health issues plaguing former NFL athletes: CTE and opioid abuse.
That's according to former NFL player and Super Bowl champion Marvin Washington, who is calling on the league to introduce a medical marijuana program.
"If we don't get our hands around this opioid addiction, we are going to lose a generation," Washington told Cheddar's CannaBiz Tuesday. "I believe CBD is a neural protectant for the brain and, as pain management, will go a long way in stopping this epidemic that we have."
Former NFL players trying to manage chronic pain use opioid drugs in retirement four times more than the general population, [according to a 2011 study.](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3095672/) Cannabis could be a potential substitute. There's also new evidence it could [help the treatment of CTE,] (https://www.si.com/nfl/2016/07/12/cannabis-cte-treatment-kannalife) a degenerative disease linked to repetitive brain trauma.
Washington's calls for action come even as broad medical marijuana research faces hurdles. Cannabis remains a Schedule I drug under the [Controlled Substance Act,](https://www.dea.gov/druginfo/ds.shtml) putting it in the same category as heroin, LSD, and ecstasy.
And while 29 states and Washington, D.C., have legalized medical use of the substance, the Food and Drug Administration had only approved two treatments made from synthetic versions of marijuana ingredients.
That changed this week when the [agency granted its first approval to a medication that contains a pure derivative of cannabis.](https://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/ucm611046.htm) Epidiolex, a CBD oral solution manufactured by the UK's GW Pharmaceuticals, can now be used to treat two severe and rare forms of epilepsy.
"This approval serves as a reminder that advancing sound development programs that properly evaluate active ingredients contained in marijuana can lead to important medical therapies," FDA Commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb said in a statement Monday.
The FDA will review more applications for CBD treatments, and Gottlieb said the agency will continue to support research on other potential medical uses for marijuana-derived products.
That could open up a big door.
"Due to federal illegality there hasn't been a lot of substantive research in this area," legal expert Lauren Estevez told Cheddar Tuesday. "So this is something that can be really unpacked over the next few years."
CBD, a chemical component of the Cannabis sativa plant, is legal in the states that have approved medical or recreational marijuana, and there's also some form of legalized CBD in seventeen other states.
Washington, who competed in the NFL for 11 years and won his Super Bowl ring, perhaps appropriately, with the Denver Broncos in 1999, predicts the league will introduce a sensible medical cannabis program in 2020 when the Collective Bargain Agreement is up.
"I think this is going to be player-driven, this is going to be a grass roots type of movement to get cannabis, hemp, and CBD, and all the medicinal benefits of this plan into the NFL," said Washington.
For the full segment, [click here.](https://cheddar.com/videos/former-nfl-player-marvin-washington-on-cbd-for-pain-relief)
It is 'game on' for sports bettors in the state of New York, as mobile betting kicks off on four major betting operating platforms this Saturday. The state, with over 20 million residents, will be the most populous state with legal online sports betting. Max Bichsel, VP of US Business for EmpireStakes.com joins Cheddar News to discuss.
College athletes scored big in 2021 when they were finally allowed to begin earning money based off of their name, image, and likeness, known as NIL. But how can young athletes best manage their money so they can set themselves up for years of success? Nicole Pullen Ross, Head of Goldman Sachs Sports and Entertainment Solutions, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss why financial management for college athletes is important, common pitfalls they could run into, and more.
On Saturday, New York will join neighboring New Jersey and Connecticut in authorizing mobile sports betting. Matt Kalish, president and co-founder of Draftkings North America, joined Cheddar to talk about the landmark change that is estimated to rake in $500 million in annual tax revenue on a potential billion-dollar market. Kalish also addressed the possibility that legalized sports betting in the Empire State could cannibalize his company's revenues in the bordering states. "It's pretty inconvenient, you know, to go across the border to make a bet. And people were doing it, but I think it really stifled a lot of the opportunity," he said. "So while there's some of that going on, I think really a tremendous amount, like a giant percent, of New York will be very incremental."
Desmond Howard, former NFL wide receiver and Modelo college football playoff ambassador, joins Cheddar News to talk about the Modelo sweepstakes honoring the 30th anniversary of his iconic punt return.
The New York Times has acquired sports outlet The Athletic in a $550 million deal. The acquisition brings the Times closer to its 10 million paid subscribers goal by 2025.
Austin Mock, College Football betting contributor for The Athletic, explains his strategy for selecting a winner in the national title game between Georgia and Alabama.
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Michael Jenkins gives his picks for the final week of the NFL regular season while Joe Osborne dishes out his insight for how to approach a week where some teams choose to sit out their star players. Meanwhile, Austin Mock explains his strategy for selecting a winner in the national title game between Georgia and Alabama.
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It's no secret tech giant Amazon has a mission of becoming a major player in sports media, and the company is poised to make progress on that goal in 2022. Amazon Prime Video will be the exclusive home to Thursday Night Football for the 2022-23 NFL season. In December, the New York Post reported that Amazon is in the beginning stages of developing studio sports programs, and hopes to soon have a full daily lineup of sports shows. Front Office Sports senior reporter A.J. Perez joined Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
The seven-time Pro Bowler Antonio Brown thrust himself into the spotlight again after an on-field meltdown against the New York jets that ended with him pulling off his jersey and exiting the field at MetLife Stadium, leading his Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians to say that Brown was "no longer a buc." Sports commentator and former quarterback Lester Ricard Jr. joined Cheddar's "Closing Bell" to discuss the troubled star's latest actions as well as his checkered past few years in and around the league. "About three or four years ago, Antonio Brown, his career was trending towards a Hall of Famer, one of the best wide receivers of all time," said Ricard Jr. "I don't know if he's self-imploding or whatever's going on with him." Ricard went on to speculate about a specific hit Brown may have taken years back he felt could have led to the current behavior.
