The Marijuana Question

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Prime Time

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Personally I don't care if marijuana is legalized all over the nation. And I believe that NFL players should be able to use marijuana instead of opioids to ease their pain.

However we don't want more accidents along with injuries and loss of life due to someone being loaded while driving. Alcohol, prescription drugs, lack of sleep, and other distractions such as yakking on cell phones is causing enough carnage.

The problem for the NFL is that marijuana is still federally illegal. I'm guessing the NFL will wait until it is legal all over the country before they cease suspending players for using it.

Btw I wonder if some players take into consideration which team to sign with based on the marijuana laws of the state that team is located in?

What do you think?
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View: https://twitter.com/NFLPA/status/987358248549445632

Marijuana testing period opens today, 4/20
Posted by Mike Florio on April 20, 2018

gettyimages-810213416-e1524241276883.jpg

Getty Images

The NFL either has a great sense of humor or an unintended flair for the ironic. Regardless, it’s April 20 (as in 4/20), and the NFL’s annual drug-testing period is officially open.

For players not already in the drug-testing program, it means that the once-per-year substance-abuse test can happen at any point between now and early August. Which means that, if/when a player not in the drug-testing program passes the annual substance-abuse test, he can use recreational drugs like marijuana without consequence until next year.

As long as, of course, he isn’t arrested for marijuana possession in a state where it’s illegal or a bag of weed doesn’t fall out of his coat pocket while visiting the league office.

Given the amount of time necessary for marijuana metabolites to exit the system (it can take as long as 30 days) it may be too late to stop smoking yesterday. For those who stopped in time to produce a clean sample, they’ll be hoping to get their number pulled sooner than later, so that they can resume doing what is now legal in nine states for recreational purposes and 29 states for medicinal purposes.

Which brings me back to the point I’ve made time and again: Why? Why does the NFL feel compelled to Big Brother these guys away from something that is widely legal and even more widely accepted? The War on Drugs is over, and the islands of Cheech and Chong prevailed.

At this point, it’s not about right or wrong, legal or illegal. It’s not about whether it helps players better than prescription medications. It’s not whether it assists with concussion recovery. It’s about collective bargaining, and the league won’t be giving up the current policy without a concession from the union.

The union, in turn, won’t be making a concession, because the union knows that most players are smart enough to know when to stop smoke, when they can start again, and how to be discreet about using it.
 

Jacobarch

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It's just like any other business. They set the rules . If a player shows up drunk (which has happened) they get benched or sent packing . I assume it would be similar with weed. You come to practice smelling of it . Boom you're cut or benched
 

Antonius

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It's just like any other business. They set the rules . If a player shows up drunk (which has happened) they get benched or sent packing . I assume it would be similar with weed. You come to practice smelling of it . Boom you're cut or benched

But you can come to practice stuffed full of addictive opioids. Because they don't smell, and it's effect is unseen. I'm not attacking your point, just the outdated thinking around the legalization of dangerous painkillers for these athlete's and the ban on a seemingly harmless plant.
 

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Just legalize everything. I personally think it's your body if you want to screw it up. Just as long as you don't hurt or kill anyone else when under the influence. I think it's better to abstain, but whatever. Let's release all of the convicts who didn't hurt anyone else in the commission of their "crime" of dealing.
 

dieterbrock

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The world evolves and moves on. My first memories of TV was a black and white where I had to adjust the antenna for better picture and a knob which changed channels.
Now today I can watch on my phone in full color High def....
Times change...

I don't care either way but if it isn't illegal, I don't see why they should ban it
 

OldSchool

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If the union really wanted this they could get it so players could use CBD based pain relief products. They could still do drug testing it would just require some modifications from what I understand. It’s entirely plausible to make that work. That’s if the desire is for pain relief and simply not just legalizing pot.
 

Pancake

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IMO employers should only be able to dictate what a free person does when they are on the clock, This crap where your fired because you smoked weed while someplace else on your own free time is pure bullshit. Not to mention the hypocrisy of freely being able to get shit face drunk on your own time with zero worries about doing so.
 

Loyal

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IMO employers should only be able to dictate what a free person does when they are on the clock, This crap where your fired because you smoked weed while someplace else on your own free time is pure bullcrap. Not to mention the hypocrisy of freely being able to get crap face drunk on your own time with zero worries about doing so.
Sure, as long as you are totally clear headed when returning to work, especially in jobs where sobriety is necessary for public safety.
 

Prime Time

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  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #12
Former Ram Kyle Turley gives his opinion.


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Q-iN8LZ7Yo


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xpc4B9fmOv4


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bv96cxIbpo


https://www.usatoday.com/story/spor...stimate-marijuana-use-players-high/536254002/

Former NBA, NFL athletes estimate marijuana use among players is higher than 80%
Scott Gleeson, USA TODAY Sports

Former NBA player Kenyon Martin, the No. 1 pick in the 2000 draft, said in an interview with Bleacher Report published Friday that he believes “85% of the league” smoked marijuana during his career.

Former tight end Martellus Bennett thought the number was even higher in the NFL, where injuries and physical pain are more prevalent.

"I want to say about 89% (of the NFL used marijuana)," Bennett told Bleacher Report in a separate interview among former NFL players.

Marijuana is one of the NBA and NFL's banned substances, with a failed drug test leading to a suspension and fine — even for players in states where marijuana is legal. Former NFL player John Moffitt noted that the league is essentially "looking away" by only testing once a year.

Matt Barnes, another former NBA player who retired after the 2016-17 season, said he smoked pot before games throughout his 14-year career. He also said there was hypocrisy among NBA teams' top brass when it came to marijuana use.

"The GMs, coaches, presidents (were smoking). I mean, it goes deeper than what you think," Barnes said. "Some of the people that are cracking whips and suspending us are smoking weed."

Former NFL defensive lineman Shaun Smith said he used to smoke "two blunts before every game" over the span of his 10 seasons in the league. He echoed Barnes' point.

"Shoot, coaches do it. Personnel does it, people upstairs do it," Smith said. "Quarterbacks, guys that are your captains, leaders of the team smoke.

"Everybody has their reason. They do it for their pain."
 

OldSchool

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IMO employers should only be able to dictate what a free person does when they are on the clock, This crap where your fired because you smoked weed while someplace else on your own free time is pure bullcrap. Not to mention the hypocrisy of freely being able to get crap face drunk on your own time with zero worries about doing so.
Sorry, I work for a company that has dozens of semi trucks on the road daily. That’s not going to happen and I hope it doesn’t ever happen.
 

Loyal

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Sorry, I work for a company that has dozens of semi trucks on the road daily. That’s not going to happen and I hope it doesn’t ever happen.
Even if public safety isn't the issue, and employer has a right to expect your very best when getting paid for work. Being hung over or burned out from whatever substance, is cheating them of work performance. Blaze away (or drink) on your off time, just come to work clear headed.
 

Jacobarch

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But you can come to practice stuffed full of addictive opioids. Because they don't smell, and it's effect is unseen. I'm not attacking your point, just the outdated thinking around the legalization of dangerous painkillers for these athlete's and the ban on a seemingly harmless plant.

I smoke daily . Don't have to convince me. I'm saying it will greatly change your effectiveness in playing sports or even thinking for that matter. And smoking weed is often used the same way as booze for social interaction. I can't really say the same as opioids. So there's always that as well.
 

TexasRam

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Does anyone else think we should celebrate our Championship win this year with a Snoop DoG “Super Bowls” parade.
 

Pancake

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Sorry, I work for a company that has dozens of semi trucks on the road daily. That’s not going to happen and I hope it doesn’t ever happen.
I personally don't believe smoking weed a couple days before I have to work is going to effect my ability. It's no longer active in my system.
Why is it looked at differently if it's alcohol? People go out and get hammered the night before working all the time and nobody cares as long as they aren't under the influence at the actual time of being at work.
But if you smoked weed 3 weeks ago and it shows up in your system your fired.
 

Dodgersrf

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Legalize it.
I dont even do it, but I dont belive people should be in prison over it. I think its foolish to continue spending money to endorse laws against it.

Now I understand the problems it can cause in the workplace. With weed staying in your system for so long, it's tough to drug test in the same manner as alcohol testing.

What would help is being able to test the levels in your system. It can be done with alcohol, but I'm unsure if it can be done with weed. Until an accurate test determining levels is developed, it will continue to pose a problem for companies closely monitoring workplace safety.
 

OldSchool

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I personally don't believe smoking weed a couple days before I have to work is going to effect my ability. It's no longer active in my system.
Why is it looked at differently if it's alcohol? People go out and get hammered the night before working all the time and nobody cares as long as they aren't under the influence at the actual time of being at work.
But if you smoked weed 3 weeks ago and it shows up in your system your fired.
FYI this company when you get pulled for a random will give you a breathalyzer too. You may think people hold them differently but that’s not always the case.
 

Loyal

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The big thing is about laws, is that they only matter if the public supports them. If the majority agrees about something, then police will be able to easily enforce it. IF the public doesn't support a law and see's no problem in breaking it, no number of police will be able to enforce it. I think we are at this point with marijuana...