{"id":8316,"date":"2018-06-02T04:27:28","date_gmt":"2018-06-02T04:27:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.420magazine.com\/?p=19869"},"modified":"2018-06-02T04:27:28","modified_gmt":"2018-06-02T04:27:28","slug":"nfls-mike-james-asks-for-permission-to-use-cannabis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/nfls-mike-james-asks-for-permission-to-use-cannabis\/","title":{"rendered":"NFL\u2019s Mike James Asks For Permission To Use Cannabis"},"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\/nfls-mike-james-asks-for-permission-to-use-cannabis\/\" send=\"true\" layout=\"standard\" width=\"450\" show_faces=\"false\" font=\"arial\" action=\"like\" colorscheme=\"light\"><\/fb:like><\/div><p>Take cannabis or retire? That&#8217;s the dilemma for the NFL running back who says he needs the drug to continue playing American football.<\/p>\n<p>Mike James, a 27-year-old free agent, believes he has become the first player to ask the league for permission to use cannabis, submitting a therapeutic use exemption (TUE) for the drug.<\/p>\n<p>It was rejected in May because he could not indisputably prove he suffered chronic pain, but conversations with the National Football League remain ongoing and James remains hopeful of a long-term solution.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Submitting the TUE was a huge risk. I may have sacrificed my career to do it,&#8221; the running back tells BBC Sport.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;But for me there was no running from it any more. I&#8217;m in a position to be able to do something myself, to give me back my life, and help the players in the league.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Former NBA champion Matt Barnes told BBC Sport on Thursday that cannabis use is &#8220;widespread&#8221; in the NBA.<\/p>\n<p>But what is the situation in the NFL? How did James get into using cannabis? And will his TUE ever be granted?<\/p>\n<p><strong><span style=\"font-size: 14pt\">&#8216;It was either cannabis or addiction&#8217;<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>James was a sixth-round pick for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2013, but things turned sour for the then 22-year-old when he needed surgery for a broken ankle in his rookie season.<\/p>\n<p>Then came the chronic pain and an addiction to painkillers.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;At first I was taking the recommended dose but then I ramped it up when I found ways to get extra pills,&#8221; he says.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I fell into the culture of being on the field by any means necessary. But I was beginning to harm my real life outside of football.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>A 2011 study by Washington University found 52% of retired NFL players used painkillers during their careers, and more than 70% of those players abused those drugs.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I never really understood the harmful nature of addiction,&#8221; adds James. &#8220;I saw my father deal with it my whole life and I thought it was a choice until I went through it myself.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Addiction is hard, and it shouldn&#8217;t be taken lightly, but cannabis has given me an alternative.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><strong><span style=\"font-size: 14pt\">Two positive tests for cannabis<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>After being encouraged by his wife to use cannabis &#8211; which is legal for medicinal use in the state of Florida &#8211; James slowly began to use it in place of painkillers while continuing to play in the NFL.<\/p>\n<p>He felt the benefits immediately &#8220;but didn&#8217;t want to believe it&#8221; and now the drug has now become part of his daily life.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;When I have to take breaks from cannabis, I can&#8217;t medicate. I struggle with weight, spasms, sciatic pain, joint pain, headaches and I&#8217;m not able to train,&#8221; James says.<\/p>\n<p>He has twice tested positive for cannabis under the NFL&#8217;s policy and program on substances of abuse,? in 2017 and 2018.<\/p>\n<p>Cannabis is prohibited under the policy, which tests all players once during the year &#8211; in pre-season from 20 April to 9 August.<\/p>\n<p>A positive result sees the player enter into the league&#8217;s prevention programme, as in the NBA, and the penalties increase with further violations from fines to a 10-game ban.<\/p>\n<p>So James, who says he felt &#8220;pushed into a corner&#8221; by the league, decided it was time to be &#8220;open and honest&#8221; about his cannabis use.<\/p>\n<p><strong><span style=\"font-size: 14pt\">Cannabis as pain relief &#8211; but what about the risks?<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Mike is clearly not someone who can use painkillers as he has a long history of personal addiction and a long history of family substance abuse,&#8221; James&#8217; clinician Dr Sue Sisley tells BBC Sport.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;So our position was focused on Mike being able to use medical cannabis for chronic pain syndrome.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Dr Sisley, one of the only researchers involved in clinical trials of the drug in the US, says these include a risk of dependency and instances of psychosis, paranoia and anxiety.<\/p>\n<p>But one of the conclusions of a 2017 report? published by the National Academies of Sciences (NAS) said patients treated with cannabis were more likely to experience a significant reduction in pain symptoms.<\/p>\n<p>The NFL rejected the TUE request, which James&#8217; lawyer Brian Muraresku believes is the first application in an American sports league, but Muraresku tells BBC Sport he is hopeful of a solution.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;There was a disagreement over whether Mike had submitted enough evidence that he was suffering from chronic pain syndrome and symptoms related to traumatic brain injury,&#8221; says Muraresku.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;But Mike and I have met with the NFL since and we&#8217;re trying to come to a long-term solution in the collective bargaining agreement. I&#8217;m very optimistic.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>The NFL did not respond to BBC requests to comment on James&#8217; TUE application and their position on cannabis.<\/p>\n<p>The league is not a signatory to the World Anti-Doping Authority (Wada) code, but Wada has confirmed to the BBC that it has granted TUEs for cannabinoids in the past &#8220;where medically justified&#8221; and &#8220;where the relevant criteria have been satisfied&#8221;.<\/p>\n<p><strong><span style=\"font-size: 14pt\">How widespread is cannabis in the NFL?<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>James estimates more than half of the players in the NFL are using, or have used, cannabis and says the reaction to his case has been &#8220;very empowering&#8221;.<\/p>\n<p>Some have even expressed an interest in following his lead by submitting a TUE.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I had three or four current players reach out to me immediately,&#8221; he says. &#8220;A lot of people I played with have told me to keep doing it, please keep doing what you&#8217;re doing because we all need it.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>But would the removal of cannabis from the banned list be met with widespread approval?<\/p>\n<p>James says: &#8220;It&#8217;s beneficial to us as players but the question is whether it&#8217;s beneficial to the owners. Would they lose sponsorships, what about the stigma, and how would it be controlled?&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Dr Sisley, who sits on an NFL advisory board, agrees the word cannabis is &#8220;politically radioactive&#8221;.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I&#8217;ve heard many conversations about the brand of wholesomeness and family values on the board,&#8221; she said. &#8220;They feel cannabis is the antithesis of this.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><strong><span style=\"font-size: 14pt\">Cannabis and concussion &#8211; what&#8217;s next?<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>James, his lawyer Muraresku and Dr Sisley are hoping the NFL will &#8220;set the tone&#8221; for other professional sports leagues.<\/p>\n<p>But Dr Sisley believes the NFL should go one step further. She is recommending it funds a national study into the effects of cannabis not only on chronic pain syndrome, but also traumatic brain injuries such as chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).<\/p>\n<p>In 2016, the NFL made a $100m pledge to increase research into concussion, and Dr Sisley believes this is a perfect opportunity to look at the effects of cannabis on symptoms arising from repeated head traumas.<\/p>\n<p>She says there is &#8220;promising early data&#8221; from studies looking at whether cannabis can have a protective effect on the brain.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;The NFL, rather than burying their head in the sand, could instead be proactive and acknowledge the existing science and agree to sponsor a federally legal trial.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>The post <a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.420magazine.com\/420-news\/international-cannabis-news\/nfls-mike-james-asks-for-permission-to-use-cannabis\/\">NFL&#8217;s Mike James Asks For Permission To Use Cannabis<\/a> appeared first on <a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.420magazine.com\">420 MAGAZINE \u00ae<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Take cannabis or retire? That&#8217;s the dilemma for the NFL running back who says he needs the drug to continue&#8230; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.420magazine.com\/420-news\/international-cannabis-news\/nfls-mike-james-asks-for-permission-to-use-cannabis\/\" class=\"read-more\">[Read More]<\/a><\/p>\n<p>The post <a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.420magazine.com\/420-news\/international-cannabis-news\/nfls-mike-james-asks-for-permission-to-use-cannabis\/\">NFL&#8217;s Mike James Asks For Permission To Use Cannabis<\/a> appeared first on <a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.420magazine.com\">420 MAGAZINE \u00ae<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1616,9,1,3],"tags":[4184],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8316"}],"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=8316"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8316\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8316"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8316"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8316"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}