The NFL is giving UC San Diego $500,000 to study if cannabis can be used to help athletes manage pain from injuries and recover more quickly, reported local media.The NFL awarded the contract to UCSD’s Center for Medicinal Cannabis Research, to conduct a study on professional Rugby players partly because cannabis is a banned substance in the NFL. Rugby is the sport that has some of the highest injury rates in the world. The study will involve administering THC, the primary psychoactive compound in cannabis, and cannabidiol (CBD), the second most-active ingredient.
The study will be led by Dr. Mark Wallace, director of the Center for Pain Medicine at UCSD, and Thomas Marcotte, co-director of the cannabis research center. The San Diego Union-Tribune spoke to Dr. Wallace, who explained that in spite of the lack of scientific evidence, “the NFL knows that players and many elite athletes are using cannabis for sports-related injuries and recovery."
