Packing the Pro Bowl

With football season starting, how do you feel about professional athletes using marijuana?

—The Mad Bomber

Listen, there are so many pot smokers in the NFL that ESPN.com has an “All-Weed” team listed on its website. It’s an open secret that players can smoke weed as long as they pass the preseason drug test. The hypocrisy of the NFL handing out Percocet and Oxycontin like candy while suspending players for using cannabis is astounding. There are more than a few studies that show cannabis to be an effective medicine as both a pain reliever and an anti-inflammatory. Not to mention that cannabis is also a known neuroprotectant, as in: IT PROTECTS YOUR BRAIN. Considering all the concussions and CTE in the NFL, a thinking person might wonder if, instead of banning pot, the NFL should make cannabis use mandatory.

Fortunately, many pro football players are starting to speak out about medical marijuana. Former Bears QB Jim McMahon used cannabis to kick his Percocet habit. Former Ravens tackle Eugene Monroe just donated $80,000 toward medical marijuana research.

The NFL’s drug policy is determined by negotiations between the team owners and the NFL Players Association union. Perhaps the players can get cannabis removed from the list of banned substances when they negotiate a new contract in 2020. Until then, players will have to be smart (looking at you, Josh Gordon) and not get caught.

So, Nevada has legalized adult use and the pot shops are open. How is it going?

—Hy Roller

Apparently, it’s going so well that the governor of Nevada had to declare a “state of emergency” because the demand for legal cannabis is way ahead of the supply. There are 47 licensed recreational dispensaries in Nevada, but only two licensed distribution companies. The distribution companies ran out of weed almost immediately, so the state had to move quickly to approve more cannabis distribution licenses. This is a good thing. Cannabis and monopolies don’t get along.

Decentralized cannabis distribution has been a thing since cannabis prohibition began in 1937. This is something that California should keep in mind as we move toward opening recreational cannabis dispensaries on January 1. We are going to need all the weed (California grown, leave that BC bud in BC) we can get to keep up with what will be an incredible demand for California’s premier cash crop.

Fortunately, California’s revamped regulations allow for way more than two distribution companies. Listen: Every state that has legalized recreational use has seen way more demand than regulators predicted. The demand for California weed will be unprecedented and enormous. Good luck to all the growers.

As for the quality of Nevada’s weed, I can’t speak on it yet. Perhaps it’s time for a road trip.