Marijuana for pain: hype or hope?
Retired NFL defensive lineman Shaun Smith said that for nine years, he fired up “two blunts before every game.” He appeared with other retired players on a Bleacher Report YouTube video about marijuana use in the NFL that’s been viewed 2.773 million times. And those guys estimate that 80 percent of players and staff smoke marijuana recreationally, if not right before taking the field. Their motive?
“We’re all big guys, and our bodies hurt,” said Smith. They use it as an alternative to opioid pain meds. Bo Scaife, former tight end for the Titans and the Bengals, said that in his career he had “an injury-plagued journey” and had been given pain pills and found himself in a dark place. “So it was easy for me to receive the benefits of marijuana as a viable option.” These days he uses topicals to ease pain and arthritis.
But does smoking marijuana really ease pain and treat chronic diseases? And does cannabidiol, or CBD — an active ingredient in marijuana (without the psychoactive effect of THC, its other much-touted ingredient) — really work topically to ease pain? Well, the players would say yes. But the science isn’t so clear. So, let’s review the reliable findings, pro and con, and offer our suggestions.
A Word to the Wise: If it’s legal where you live and marijuana for easing pain (as pill, edible, smokable or topical) is prescribed by a licensed doc, you want to be sure it’s going to be effective. Remember, smoking anything has serious health repercussions, and masking pain instead of alleviating it only prolongs or worsens your discomfort.