Marvin Washington played 11 seasons in the NFL, racking up 40.5 sacks over the course of 155 games. The former New York Jets sixth-round pick played for three teams during this span and saw his career come to an end with the San Francisco 49ers in 1999.
He knows a little something about the physical effects football itself can have on players.
Now, according to Julia Marsh of the NY Post, Washington is joining four other plaintiffs in suing Attorney General Jeff Sessions, the Department of Justice and the Drug Enforcement Agency over their goal to crack down on rather lax marijuana laws.
The suit in and of itself is meant to decriminalize marijuana. It’s an attempt for Washington and others to obtain federal grants to open medical marijuana businesses. For his part, Washington’s goal is to help football players find a way to deal with their pain without having to use opioids.
The suit ultimately challenges whether the 1970 Controlled Substance Act, which classifies marijuana as a substance in the same category as heroin and LSD, is constitutional.
“Classifying cannabis as a ‘Schedule I drug,’ is so irrational that it violates the U.S. Constitution,” the suit says, via the NY Post.
This comes on the heels of multiple states legalizing marijuana for recreational use during last November’s election. It also comes at a time when the NFL itself is seemingly open to liberalizing its policy against marijuana, both recreationally and medicinally.
It’s long been an area of contention around the NFL with debate continuing to arise over the widespread use of opioids among players. Former NFL player Eugene Monroe opened up to Sportsnaut about this very same topic late last year (more on that here).
It will be interesting to see what comes of this lawsuit. What we do know is that the stated policy of this adminstration’s Department of Justice is much different than how states are aligning on the marijuana issue. Whether that translates over to the NFL world remains to be seen.