Jim McMahon Former quarterback Jim McMahon is on the sidelines as the Green Bay Packers host the Minnesota Vikings at Lambeau Field November 21, 2005 in Green Bay. (Photo by Al Messerschmidt/Getty Images)

Former Chicago Bears legend Jim McMahon is the latest former football pro to advocate for marijuana use among NFL players.

The New York Daily News reports the two-time Super Bowl champion spoke at the Cannabis World Congress and Business Expo on Thursday, where he said marijuana would work as a substitute for addictive painkillers.

“There’s so many uses to this plant,” McMahon said. 

“Hundreds of thousands of people are dying from (painkillers) and there’s not one case of people dying from the hemp plant,” McMahon said.

McMahon’s a credible source to marijuana’s potential effectiveness for NFL pros. As the Daily News notes, he’s been diagnosed with early onset dementia and has used marijuana to deal with multiple debilitating post-concussion health issues since retiring in 1996.

The NFL doesn’t want anything to do with marijuana since it’s illegal and currently a banned substance. The Baltimore Ravens even admitted in a press release that the release of marijuana advocate Eugene Monroe was partly due to his comments on the drug. John Harbaugh discussed the situation, saying Monroe didn’t “speak for the organization” with his remarks.

McMahon wasn’t the only former NFL pro advocating for marijuana use to treat brain injuries over the weekend, as former Broncos tight end Nate Jackson, former Broncos wide receiver Charlie Adams, and former Jaguars offensive tackle Eben Britton all spoke at a panel at the convention.

Marijuana seems to be a useful tool for NFL players to cope with traumatic brain injuries. It seems every week a new player is supporting the banned drug. Hopefully, the NFL can realize that if the drug is proven helpful (it appears to be) that it’s OK for players to take it, as it seems to be improving their quality of life.

[New York Daily News]

About Liam McGuire

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