NFL Player Derrick Morgan Pleads the NFL to Do More Research on Cannabis

Tennessee Titans outside linebacker Derrick Morgan is currently the last active player in the NFL who is willing to be an advocate for medical cannabis. In a recent interview with ESPN.com, Morgan expressed a passionate plea that the NFL do more research on cannabis and its healing potential for athletes. Morgan himself has spent a great deal of time researching, reading, learning and finding the medicinal benefits that cannabis can have on injured or hurting professionals. He specifically wants people to be clear on the differences between the pain-relieving and beneficial cannabis therapies and the recreational stoner culture that may have been confusing people into thinking that it is not a legitimate medicine.

“I just take the NFL for their word: If they say that long-term health and player safety are top priorities of the league, then why aren’t you looking into all the options for health care that are out there?” Morgan told Paul Kuharsky of ESPN.com. “It’s definitely incumbent upon them to really delegate some time and some resources to look into it.”

Morgan has never failed a drug test with the NFL, and he claims that he hasn’t used cannabis medicine because of the league’s harsh rules on it. But Morgan is outspoken in opposition against the strange classification of cannabis as being in the same category as heroin and LSD.

“CTE, all this stuff is real . . . that’s unsettling as a player,” he said. “You want to be able to think that you are going to be there for your family in full capacity; that you’re going to be able to be an active member, contributing member of society. With something like that, I’ve got to look at what my options are. If this happens to be an option, which I think it will be, then I’m going to look into it . . .”

Morgan is speaking out about this in hopes that other active NFL players might join him in supporting more research by the NFL on cannabis, and perhaps they can change the rule against cannabis therapy once cannabis is rescheduled.

“Every player is in a different position. But at the root of it, if your motivation is being proactive about preserving your health, then I don’t think you should have to tippy-toe around anything.”