{"id":7601,"date":"2017-07-24T16:03:38","date_gmt":"2017-07-24T16:03:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.denverpost.com?p=2726051&amp;preview_id=2726051"},"modified":"2017-07-24T16:03:38","modified_gmt":"2017-07-24T16:03:38","slug":"retired-nfl-players-back-new-denver-nonprofit-advocating-for-medical-mairjuana","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/retired-nfl-players-back-new-denver-nonprofit-advocating-for-medical-mairjuana\/","title":{"rendered":"Retired NFL players back new Denver nonprofit advocating for medical mairjuana"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"wp_fb_like_button\" style=\"margin:5px 0 5px 5px;float:right;height:100px;\"><script src=\"http:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/all.js#xfbml=1\"><\/script><fb:like href=\"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/retired-nfl-players-back-new-denver-nonprofit-advocating-for-medical-mairjuana\/\" send=\"true\" layout=\"standard\" width=\"450\" show_faces=\"false\" font=\"arial\" action=\"like\" colorscheme=\"light\"><\/fb:like><\/div><div class=\"media_block\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"row\">\n<div class=\"large-10 large-centered small-12 columns\">\n<div class=\"entry-meta-date\">Published: Jul 24, 2017, 7:50 am \u2022 Updated: Jul 24, 2017, 9:39 am<span class=\"single-comments-link\" \/><\/div>\n<p class=\"byline\">By <span class=\"author\"><a class=\"url fn n\" href=\"http:\/\/www.thecannabist.co\/author\/awallace\/\" rel=\"author\">Alicia Wallace<\/a><\/span><em>, The Cannabist Staff<\/em><\/p>\n<p>During the day, the prescription opiates stung like a knife in Eben Britton\u2019s gut. At night, cravings for the pills prescribed to manage pain caused by six years as a NFL offensive lineman roused him from his sleep.<\/p>\n<p>But on this sunny Saturday morning in Denver\u2019s Berekley Lake Park, Britton was all smiles, palming a rubber kickball he prepared to pitch in the Athletes For Care (A4C) kickball game during Denver\u2019s 420 Games.<\/p>\n<p>Britton found another way \u2014 another means of managing the pain, the depression, the anxiety, the head-rattles that plague careers and trigger darker struggles for some athletes well into retirement: cannabis as part of a holistic approach to healing. Now he\u2019s working with A4C to help other athletes discover a path without opiates.<\/p>\n<p>Saturday\u2019s kickball game was a coming-out party for the new Denver-based nonprofit group focused on the mentorship, wellness and support of former athletes. The group advocates for cannabis as an alternative means of pain management and mental health concerns; it hopes to eventually fund research and stump for federal legislation directed at some of these causes.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe 420 Games show cannabis as an integral part of a healthy lifestyle,\u201d Britton said. \u201cThe two messages (of 420 Games and Athletes For Care) blend really well.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The group hopes to change the public\u2019s perception of cannabis \u2014 and professional athletes, said Ryan Kingsbury, who founded Athletes for Care in late 2016.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere\u2019s this misconception that athletes retire to a plot in Hawaii,\u201d he said. \u201cThe reality is, a lot of these guys have no money, they\u2019re physically limited in what they can do \u2026 it is not, I think, what the public perceives life is like as a former athlete.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The transition into retirement can wreak havoc on a player, Kingsbury said, noting some players struggle with addiction, depression, suicidal thoughts and financial ruin.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGuys just kind of disappear when they stop playing the game,\u201d said Nate Jackson, a former NFL tight end who spent most of his six-year career with the Denver Broncos.<\/p>\n<p>He said he signed on with A4C to help build the support system he didn\u2019t have when he left the league. \u201cWe want to be there to catch them \u2014 we want to be there and give them a hug.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Reflecting on his playing days, Jackson recalled how pills were passed out like candy to players trying to take the physical and psychological leaps necessary to willingly hurtle oneself back into the same violent situation that caused injury in the first place.<\/p>\n<p>A4C leader Kingsbury is a former exec for Denver\u2019s CW Hemp, a company known for its whole plant hemp extracts rich in cannabidiol (CBD), a non-psychoactive cannabis compound touted for its potential medical benefits as an anti-inflammatory, pain-reliever and neuroprotectant. As chief of corporate strategy at CW, Kingsbury worked with athletes like former Broncos quarterback <a href=\"http:\/\/extras.denverpost.com\/game-of-pain\/index.html\">Jake Plummer, who advocated for research on CBD use for professional athletes<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>After departing CW, Kingsbury wanted to continue that work and quickly discovered that the best solution was taking a page out of these former athletes\u2019 playbook: Teamwork.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCollectively, the group could really help drive change not only within the various sport leagues and potentially within legislation,\u201d Kingsbury said.<\/p>\n<p>The organization aims to accomplish these goals by providing resources and programs to assist athletes with the post-retirement transition; educating about health and safety matters affecting players; to advocate for cannabis as an alternative means for pain management, chronic pain and mental health concerns; and to eventually fund research and stump for federal legislation directed at some of these causes.<\/p>\n<p>Cannabis may not be deliberately incorporated into the programs, but it will be a \u201chuge pillar\u201d on the advocacy front, Kingsbury said, adding that he hopes the group could play a pivotal role in advancing discourse and research around medical marijuana.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOne could argue that the athletes are leading this movement with their stories,\u201d Kingsbury said.<\/p>\n<p>Athletes represent a middle ground in polar-opposite perceptions about cannabis consumers, he said. On one end, there are the critically ill, the pediatric epilepsy patients, and people fighting cancer and multiple sclerosis; on the other, there are the 4\/20 crowd and the tie-dye-wearing contingent.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut a huge segment in between is active people, or generally healthy people,\u201d he said. \u201cNobody\u2019s talking to them. I see it as an evolution for this industry \u2014 to bring it more mainstream.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Athletes For Care has applied for a nonprofit, 501(c)3 status. It\u2019s likely the organization may eventually pursue 501(c)4 status, which would open the doors for Athletes For Care to lobby for federal causes, he said.<\/p>\n<p>Additionally, Athletes For Care <a href=\"http:\/\/www.jefferson.edu\/university\/emerging-health-professions\/lambert-center\/message.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">is forging a partnership<\/a> with the Lambert Center for the Study of Medicinal Cannabis and Hemp at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, Kingsbury said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s really about getting these athletes to feel better,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<div id=\"gslideshow\" class=\"gss-container\">\n<div class=\"gss-info\">\n<div class=\"gss-long-cap\">DENVER, CO &#8211; JULY 22: Athletes For Care co-founder Ryan Kingsbury, left, and former NFL offensive tackle Eben Britton celebrate with teammates during a kickball game at Denver&#8217;s 420 games on July 22, 2017 in Denver, Colorado. (Gabriel Scarlett, The Denver Post) <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-meta-author\">\n<div class=\"authorimage\"><a class=\"url fn n\" href=\"http:\/\/www.thecannabist.co\/author\/awallace\/\" rel=\"author\"><img src=\"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/retired-nfl-players-back-new-denver-nonprofit-advocating-for-medical-mairjuana.jpg\" class=\"authormug\" \/><\/a><\/div>\n<p class=\"author-desc\">Alicia Wallace joined The Cannabist in July 2016, covering national marijuana policy and business. In her 14 years as a business news reporter, her coverage has spanned topics such as the economy, natural foods, airlines, biotech, retail,&#8230;<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><!-- .row --> <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div class=\"media_block\"><\/div>\n<p>Denver&#8217;s 420 Games featured former NFL and other athletes supporting the non-profit Athletes for Care, which hopes to change public perception of medical marijuana. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[531,330,6811,1344,6813,77,5667,56,9,5019,1091,5113,1,3,61,1736],"tags":[3105,2908,6816,3914,6818,2655,5673,2636,5022,3661,5114],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7601"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7601"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7601\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7601"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7601"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7601"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}