Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones reportedly led an owners-only meeting during the Annual League Meeting in Phoenix, Ariz. this past week. One of the issues Jones reportedly raised during that meeting was changing the NFL’s stance on marijuana use, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk.
“Jones, per a source who heard the comments, wants the league to drop its prohibition on marijuana use,” Florio wrote. “Jones was reminded that the issue falls under the umbrella of collective bargaining, which would require the players to make one or more concessions in exchange for significant changes to the marijuana prohibition.”
Because “the issue falls under the umbrella of collective bargaining,” the NFL itself cannot make a change unless it is negotiated with the NFLPA, which Florio notes would likely have to offer concessions in other areas to make it happen. This is an interesting dynamic, because it seems clear at this point that a portion of NFL ownership agrees with the players that marijuana should not be banned.
And based on new research that shows how much certain cannabinoids help with recovery, especially with brain trauma (more on that here), dropping the prohibition on marijuana use would likely be a huge positive for the league in the long term.
Of course, some owners might just be tired of their players getting suspended for recreational pot use. But one could successfully argue smoking a joint is no more damaging or dangerous than getting drunk. In fact, it could be argued drinking is far more damaging than using marijuana to relax.
But for the sake of this argument, the main points against prohibition should be on the medical front. The NFLPA has already stated it is looking into ways to relax the current policy, and it seems like a matter of time before marijuana becomes legal across America, given the current trend.