Earlier this week, the NFL and NFLPA announced that they are awarding over half a million dollars in grants to fund studies of innovative pain management solutions, including the use of CBD.

The two grants will be awarded to independent researchers at the the American Society of Pain and Neuroscience (ASPN) and Emory University. Both studies could lead to alternatives to opioid-based treatments.

Drs. Nicholas Giordano and Mara Schenker at Emory University will use their funds to study how “mindfulness-based intervention” delivered before orthopedic surgery can affect pain levels, opioid use, and other functional outcomes.

Researchers at the American Society of Pain and Neuroscience (ASPN), led by Dr. Erika Petersen, will conduct research comparing non-invasive vagal nerve stimulation (nVNS) and cannabidiol (CBD) to current standard treatments for athletes experiencing post-traumatic headache (PTH).

THE NFL-NFLPA JOINT PAIN COMMITTEE

The awards were chosen by the NFL-NFLPA Joint Pain Management Committee (PMC). The committee is made up of medical experts appointed by the league and the NFLPA.

According to their website, the PMC “works to establish uniform standards for club practices and policies regarding pain management and the use of prescription medications by NFL players.”

“We are always seeking new knowledge, techniques, and tools to ensure that NFL athletes are treated with the best possible care,” said Dr. Allen Sills, NFL Chief Medical Officer. “We are proud to lead the way on investigating how the use of CBD and other alternative measures could positively impact pain management for players. As within the broader scope of player health and safety, we want to ensure every treatment at our disposal clears the appropriate medical standard for wider use.”

It’s worth noting that despite this research being funded by, and thereby associated with the NFL, NFL players are not eligible to participate in these studies.

Other elite professional athletes will be involved. Hypothetically, this could mean football players from other leagues or athletes of other sports.

Also, regardless of the findings, these studies will not have a direct impact on the NFL’s substance abuse policies or programs.

ONGOING RESEARCH OF CANNABINOIDS

These grants are the second round of awards chose by the PMC. In 2022, a combined $1 million was awarded to two research teams that were investigating tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) as well as CBD.

This all seems to be part of a multi-year initiative that began with the formation of the PMC.

The PMC was formed in 2019. In 2020, the joint committee held two informational forums to discuss cannabidiol science and manufacturing in North America.

Then, in 2021, they issued a Request for Information so they could identify researchers studying alternative methods of pain management.

Later that same year, the PMC issued a formal Request for Proposals. The were looking specifically for research on alternatives to opioids.

Seven months later, they awarded the first round of grants.

CHANGES IN DRUG AND SUBSTANCE POLICIES

Although, the research does not directly impact substance abuse policies, new information about cannabis does seem to be changing the minds of those that do make decisions about substances used by NFL players.

A 2011 study published by the Drug and Alcohol Dependence Journal found high rates of opioid misuse among retired NFL players. Undiagnosed concussions were cited as one of the main causes of the misuse.

Recent headlines suggest that the issue of opioid abuse among professional athletes has continued if not worsened.

As the NFL has invested more into cannabinoid research and learned more about opioid abuse, there have also been changes to their drug policy.

Now, drug testing for marijuana is limited to occurring during the first two weeks of training camp. Also, the threshold for a failed test has increased four times from 35 ng/ml to 150 ng/ml.

It is even harder now for players to be suspended. Failing drug tests now triggers fines.

The funded research and policies may not be directly connected, but a change in philosophy is reflected in both.