Boiut
SOME ATHLETES LOOK FOR ALTERNATIVE METHODS TO RELIEVE PAIN
1
by
KATIE ARCHER
When in pain, athletes are faced with the
decision to take prescription pain pills or
live with agony. The negative side effects
of pain pills are leading athletes to look
elsewhere for relief. Marijuana seems to
be the next best option but is a banned
substance.
Future pot business people gathered at
Cannabis Collaborative Conference on Feb.
4 which featured former NBA star Cliff
Robinson as a speaker.
Uncle Spliffy Sports Cannabis is Robin
son’s new marijuana business.
Robinson told KGW, “ I don’t think it’s
a big conversation right now, but as more
states continue to come online and more
athletes continue to voice their opinion in
a positive way, the conversation will get
bigger and bigger.”
Even though pot is legalized, in Oregon,
it’s still a topic of debate. Add in whether
or not athletes should use marijuana
and athletes, doctors and fans will all be
sharing their stance in the debate.
ESPN Special Section featured an eight-
week series about drugs and athletes. One
week, Dr. Gary Wadler talked about how
weed affects athletes.
Anyone who is against athletes using
m arijuana w ill probably like the story
because pot only got negative reviews
from Dr. Wadler.
According to Wadler, m arijuana neg
atively affects an athlete by im pairing
concentration, h an d -eye coordination
and reaction tim e, increases fatigability
and more.
In short, weed is not a perform ance
enhancing drug.
Why would athletes want to light up with
weed if it would impair their performance?
Athletes who are in favor of marijuana
argue that pot consumption is less addic
tive and less harm ful than prescription
drugs. Many retired professional players,
who are now dealing with the pain of their
playing days, are using pot or addicted to
prescription pain meds.
Form er N FL player N ate Jack so n used
marijuana instead of painkillers because
he didn’t want to be addicted to the pre
scription drugs like other players. In early
March of last year, Jackson was a speaker
at the Cannabis Business Executive Break
fast.
In an Associated Press story about the
cannabis breakfast, a couple o f points
that Jackson shared was players’ striking
their heads repeatedly is a bigger problem
than marijuana and if fans want the game
o f football to continue they should be
more com passionate about health care
approaches.
Jack so n said he used it to help w ith
recovery and didn’t use it before a game
or practice and doesn’t know o f anybody
who did.
Athletes usually used marijuana to help
them recover, focus and relax and if they
are a pro they should know how to manage
their usage.
A professional athlete needs to care for
their body in the best way that they seefit.
I think whatever method athletes chose .to
use to help them should be legal and kept
between them and their doctors.
If marijuana is illegal in the state where
the athlete resides, then the athlete should
not be using it u n til it becom es legal.
Athletes need to follow the law just like
everyone else.
I f prescription pills are only m aking
things worse for athletes, then it’s time
to find a better solution. I don’t know if
marijuana is the answer or not.
For more on the miss use o f pain medi
cations check out ESPN Outside the Lines
writer John Barr’s story “ Painkiller Misyse
Numbers NFL Pain.”
A policy m anager for the Drug Policy
Alliance, Amanda Reiman, told Sports on
Earth, “ If we could show that marijuana
grows hair, helps you lose weight or helps
you maintain an erection it would be legal
in 24 hours.”
She’s right.
Clackamas Print FEBRUARY 10,2016 ttedKkamasprrtxDm 7