Former New York Giants defensive end Leonard Marshall has partnered with a New Jersey pharmacy chain to make marijuana-based medicine in hopes that legalization efforts will soon hit the Garden State.
New Jersey-based Hometowne Rx hopes to attach the two-time Super Bowl champion’s name to its product, according to the New York Daily News Monday.
“We’re watching the trends,” Hometowne Rx’s Aisha Bhatti told the New York Daily News. “We would be the first in the market to provide a product or develop one with Leonard.”
Marshall champions a non-psychoactive ingredient in marijuana called cannabidiol (CBD), which he says “within a few days of using it, I found some significant relief. My headaches are gone.”
He says one of the reasons he teamed with Hometowne Rx specifically, was due to the personal tailoring of its treatments on a case-by-case basis. If the Federal Drug Administration approves CBD as a treatment for epilepsy, the pharmacy chain says it would already have a head start on production of the CBD products.
“In theory, they could have the whole supply chain in place if or when the law catches up to demand,” the New York Daily News article says.
Marshall, who suffers from chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) — a degenerative brain disease resulting from repeated concussions — would also like to see the NFL reevaluate its stance on medical marijuana, as more evidence suggest its effectiveness in treating ailments common to NFL players, such as CTE or post-concussion syndrome.
“If you were to poll players who use marijuana as a substance, eight out of 10 would tell you if they could get the same treatment without the mind-altering effects [of marijuana], they would do it,” Marshall said.
Marshall joins a growing chorus of former NFL players who want the league to favor treatments like medical marijuana over opiate-based painkillers, which he says were passed around NFL locker rooms like “Skittles.”
“It’s very simple for me,” Marshall said. “Opioids have killed hundreds of thousands of people. I’ve never seen [marijuana] kill anyone.”
NFL players have jokingly re-dubbed the NFL as “Not For Long” in reference to the short careers most players have. The average career in the NFL is just over three years, according to the NFL Players Association.
Players fearful injuries could take them out of commission, have taken to killing the pain from with prescription medications as opposed to sitting out and treating it. This culture of “pain management” leads many players to eventually become addicted to the painkillers, even after they’ve left the NFL.
The National Institute of Health says that the rate of opiate addiction for NFL players is three times the rate of the general public.
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