NFL-Backed Study Reveals Athletes Use Cannabis in Silence

The Silence Gap

Two-thirds of surveyed athletes use cannabis for pain or recovery, but fewer than one in four tell their teams. The study, conducted by researchers at Johns Hopkins University with NFL funding, documented what lead investigator Dr. Keisha Patel called a trust deficit. Athletes cited fear of discipline, stigma, and concerns about contract negotiations as reasons for nondisclosure.

The findings land three years after the NFL relaxed its marijuana policy, removing suspensions for positive THC tests and raising the testing threshold. Despite those changes, the survey data shows athletes remain reluctant to be transparent.

What Athletes Told Researchers

Pain management ranked as the primary reason for use, followed by sleep improvement and anxiety reduction. Among the 817 current athletes surveyed, 71% said cannabis helped them reduce or eliminate opioid painkillers. Former players reported similar patterns. Some 64% said they wished cannabis had been a sanctioned option during their playing careers.

One retired linebacker, speaking anonymously in the study, said he used cannabis daily for chronic pain but never told team doctors. He stayed quiet. Another active player described dosing with CBD tinctures before games but keeping it off the record.

League Policy vs. Reality

The NFL's 2023 policy shift permits use but still bans players from being impaired during team activities. The league no longer suspends players for positive marijuana tests, but clubs retain the right to discipline athletes under conduct policies. That gray zone keeps many players silent, according to the study.

Forty-one percent of athletes in states with legal recreational markets assumed their use was protected, only to learn later that team or league rules still applied. The disconnect between state law and sports-league governance emerged as a recurring theme.

Why the NFL Funded This Research

The league committed $1 million in 2024 to study cannabis as a pain-management alternative to opioids. That funding followed years of advocacy by the NFL Players Association, which argued that cannabis posed fewer risks than prescription painkillers. Dr. Patel's team was one of three research groups awarded grants under the initiative.

The study's findings will inform future policy discussions, according to an NFL spokesperson quoted in the research summary. For full background on this story, see the CannIntel topic hub on athletes and cannabis use.

What Comes Next

Researchers recommend that leagues adopt clear medical-use frameworks and protect athletes who disclose cannabis consumption for therapeutic purposes. The study's authors called for confidential reporting channels and immunity from discipline for players using cannabis under medical supervision.

The NFL hasn't announced whether it'll revise its policies based on the findings. The league's next collective-bargaining talks with the players' union are scheduled for 2027. Cannabis policy is expected to be on the table.