NFL Offers $1 Million Grants for Opioid Alternatives Research

NFL Offers $1 Million Grants for Research into Opioid Alternatives originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago

The NFL has announced that it will offer $1 million grants for research about finding alternatives to opioids.

NFL's Jeff Miller on a conference call says the NFL-NFLPA joint pain management committee is asking for proposals for grants of up to $1 million toward research toward alternatives to opioids.

NFL's Allen Sills says cannabis among the areas they'd like to better understand.
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) June 8, 2021

The NFL-NFLPA pain management committee was formed in 2019 to address NFL players' health and safety through education and research. Last year, the committee released white papers for players and for teams' medical staffs outlining options besides opioids that are safe and effective. The white papers also discussed the latest science on cannabidiol (CBD) and cannabis.

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In the request for proposals, the committee is now looking to learn even more about cannabis, how it can operate as a pain management tool for elite football players and whether it affects athletic performance. The committee is also interested in non-pharmacologic treatments.

While there is no timeline for the research, the findings could eventually lead to marijuana being legal for NFL players. Recreational marijuana is currently legal in at least 16 states.