CBS: Candid Coaches: Getting real on marijuana legalization, testing in college fball

BleedGopher

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per CBS:

Following in the footsteps of our college basketball brethren here at CBS Sports, college football writers Dennis Dodd, Chip Patterson and Barrett Sallee spoke with one-fifth of the 130 active coaches leading FBS teams entering the 2017 season. They asked for honest opinions on everything from NCAA rules to social issues to their peers in the profession. We will be sharing their candid thoughts over a two-week period leading into the season.

Marijuana is slowly but surely being legalized across the United States -- either for medicinal or recreational use. But the NCAA -- and individual universities -- still test college athletes to determine whether they smoke weed and punish them accordingly. Yes, even in states like Colorado where marijuana is legal. That led us to ask coaches, under the condition of anonymity, to share their stances on marijuana and whether players should still be punished for using it.

Explain yourselves
"No, [it should not be legalized]. I think it's a gateway drug, and I've got kids. Right now, in [my team's state], marijuana and opiates are a bad, bad killer."

"I'm to the point where -- if you get a caught smoking marijuana and it's illegal -- we're going to punish you. [However], it doesn't recognize the standards in our society today. We've got several states where it's legal. I have a ton of players. I came back from spring break. They decided to have their offseason drug test. Thirty of my players [tested positive]. They just went home for spring break. What do you think they're going to do? Look at what we did: We drank a lot of beer, and we weren't even of age. They're going to smoke a little bit. The sad thing is they're going to go home and their parents are going to be smoking. Let's not kill ourselves on something that's no longer in effect. I hate to test them after summer because these kids' parents grew up smoking pot. It's very socially accepted."

"I think it should be legal. Why? It's legal all over our country. It's legal for people who are sick. What we should do is make it legal, but there's got to be a certain [threshold]. Everything that leads to bad decisions goes back to what? After midnight -- with alcohol. I think we have it all reversed. I'm more [against] alcohol than I am marijuana. We drug test all these kids, so why don't we breathalyze them? Nobody says, 'You're dying, grab some whiskey.' You'll die faster."

"Absolutely [they should be tested]. A lot of times these things are established before you ever meet these kids. When a kid has never done it before college, usually I can correct it if it's a learned behavior. But when he's out 12 years old smoking with Uncle John and Cousin Rudy, it's deep rooted. If I let you do this, I'm setting you up for failure. Right now, the two organizations that say you can't [smoke] are the NFL and NCAA. You're involved in one and want to be in the next one. … I really believe marijuana is a gateway drug."

"I've really come to the conclusion [that] what is socially acceptable is so different than the rules in our game. It doesn't fit. My daughter in [one state] has told me there are more marijuana stores than McDonald's."

"I think it's going to be legalized soon. I have come full circle as a man on that. We lose a lot of money. We're helping the cartels grow [by not legalizing]."

"Our jails are full of people [who have been arrested for marijuana]. There are people losing their lives, dying every day. I know there are a lot worse things out there including things that are legal, including drinking, that are at the same level if not higher. We have to stop testing for it because it is legalized in states of competing universities. That's not fair for those teams to have to be able to manage those kids when it's legal in those states. I also believe that if it's legalized it doesn't become as cool anymore and the numbers go down."

"A guy's mind doesn't stop forming until he's 26. If he's smoking a lot, it can change. We have to figure out what it [does] to our minds."

https://www.cbssports.com/college-f...ana-legalization-testing-in-college-football/

Go Gophers!!
 

Marijuana is not a gateway drug. Repeating a falsehood 1,000x doesn't make it true.

A far more legitimate concern is the use and abuse of prescription opioids in football. There is conclusive evidence that those medicines are, indeed, gateways to heroin.
 

Speaking (or writing) as someone who has been through rehab three times, it's really an individual matter.

Some people can smoke a little bit, and they never go on to anything stronger. Other people do start out smoking pot, and move on to stronger drugs. Very similar to booze. Some people can have a couple of drinks and stop. If I have one drink, I'm going to keep drinking until I'm passed out. I'm just wired differently.

I guess my point is that it really depends on each person's situation. some people have an addictive personality. some don't. the trick is trying to figure out who's who. But, one more note - it does NOT have anything to do with how much you use, or how often. It has everything to do with how it affects you. If your behavior changes when you're using, that is a big red flag.
 

Marijuana is not a gateway drug. Repeating a falsehood 1,000x doesn't make it true.

A far more legitimate concern is the use and abuse of prescription opioids in football. There is conclusive evidence that those medicines are, indeed, gateways to heroin.

I actually would say a major concern would be the negative efffect it has in performance. What coach wants his or her players to be slower making decisions, making inappropriate decisions, tripping over their own feet, etc....?
 

per CBS:

Following in the footsteps of our college basketball brethren here at CBS Sports, college football writers Dennis Dodd, Chip Patterson and Barrett Sallee spoke with one-fifth of the 130 active coaches leading FBS teams entering the 2017 season. They asked for honest opinions on everything from NCAA rules to social issues to their peers in the profession. We will be sharing their candid thoughts over a two-week period leading into the season.

Marijuana is slowly but surely being legalized across the United States -- either for medicinal or recreational use. But the NCAA -- and individual universities -- still test college athletes to determine whether they smoke weed and punish them accordingly. Yes, even in states like Colorado where marijuana is legal. That led us to ask coaches, under the condition of anonymity, to share their stances on marijuana and whether players should still be punished for using it.

Explain yourselves
"No, [it should not be legalized]. I think it's a gateway drug, and I've got kids. Right now, in [my team's state], marijuana and opiates are a bad, bad killer."

"I'm to the point where -- if you get a caught smoking marijuana and it's illegal -- we're going to punish you. [However], it doesn't recognize the standards in our society today. We've got several states where it's legal. I have a ton of players. I came back from spring break. They decided to have their offseason drug test. Thirty of my players [tested positive]. They just went home for spring break. What do you think they're going to do? Look at what we did: We drank a lot of beer, and we weren't even of age. They're going to smoke a little bit. The sad thing is they're going to go home and their parents are going to be smoking. Let's not kill ourselves on something that's no longer in effect. I hate to test them after summer because these kids' parents grew up smoking pot. It's very socially accepted."

"I think it should be legal. Why? It's legal all over our country. It's legal for people who are sick. What we should do is make it legal, but there's got to be a certain [threshold]. Everything that leads to bad decisions goes back to what? After midnight -- with alcohol. I think we have it all reversed. I'm more [against] alcohol than I am marijuana. We drug test all these kids, so why don't we breathalyze them? Nobody says, 'You're dying, grab some whiskey.' You'll die faster."

"Absolutely [they should be tested]. A lot of times these things are established before you ever meet these kids. When a kid has never done it before college, usually I can correct it if it's a learned behavior. But when he's out 12 years old smoking with Uncle John and Cousin Rudy, it's deep rooted. If I let you do this, I'm setting you up for failure. Right now, the two organizations that say you can't [smoke] are the NFL and NCAA. You're involved in one and want to be in the next one. … I really believe marijuana is a gateway drug."

"I've really come to the conclusion [that] what is socially acceptable is so different than the rules in our game. It doesn't fit. My daughter in [one state] has told me there are more marijuana stores than McDonald's."

"I think it's going to be legalized soon. I have come full circle as a man on that. We lose a lot of money. We're helping the cartels grow [by not legalizing]."

"Our jails are full of people [who have been arrested for marijuana]. There are people losing their lives, dying every day. I know there are a lot worse things out there including things that are legal, including drinking, that are at the same level if not higher. We have to stop testing for it because it is legalized in states of competing universities. That's not fair for those teams to have to be able to manage those kids when it's legal in those states. I also believe that if it's legalized it doesn't become as cool anymore and the numbers go down."

"A guy's mind doesn't stop forming until he's 26. If he's smoking a lot, it can change. We have to figure out what it [does] to our minds."

https://www.cbssports.com/college-f...ana-legalization-testing-in-college-football/

Go Gophers!!

Since when has Marijuana killed anyone?
 


"No, [it should not be legalized]. I think it's a gateway drug, and I've got kids. Right now, in [my team's state], marijuana and opiates are a bad, bad killer."

Who let Jeff Sessions coach a football team?
 

I actually would say a major concern would be the negative efffect it has in performance. What coach wants his or her players to be slower making decisions, making inappropriate decisions, tripping over their own feet, etc....?

Yeah, Imagine how much better Randy Moss would have been.... Vikings would have one five straight Super Bowls, if only Moss didn't like the Super Bowls so much:cool:.
 

Who let Jeff Sessions coach a football team?

If you gave Jeff Sessions a little thicker neck, he could get hired as a coach in the SEC. He's like one of the inner portions of those Russian Nesting Dolls of Southern masculinity.
 




Speaking (or writing) as someone who has been through rehab three times, it's really an individual matter.

Some people can smoke a little bit, and they never go on to anything stronger. Other people do start out smoking pot, and move on to stronger drugs. Very similar to booze. Some people can have a couple of drinks and stop. If I have one drink, I'm going to keep drinking until I'm passed out. I'm just wired differently.

I guess my point is that it really depends on each person's situation. some people have an addictive personality. some don't. the trick is trying to figure out who's who. But, one more note - it does NOT have anything to do with how much you use, or how often. It has everything to do with how it affects you. If your behavior changes when you're using, that is a big red flag.

You are correct 100% and I appreciate your openness. Yes everyone is wired differently.
 



I mean, alcohol can have effects on the developing brain too.

I don't disagree. I'm for legalization. I'm also for continued studies and not just slapping a "perfectly harmless" on the product.

Well, how about repeated hits to the head...is your point that this would add to what's already happening?

My point was to merely add further information to the discussion. You've got some interesting additional thought there.
 



I don't disagree. I'm for legalization. I'm also for continued studies and not just slapping a "perfectly harmless" on the product.



My point was to merely add further information to the discussion. You've got some interesting additional thought there.

From what I've read, most players say it's very good at pain relief, with few side affects like the munchies. Given the most likely alternative of taking an opiate, it's a no-brainer.
 

Marijuana is not a gateway drug. Repeating a falsehood 1,000x doesn't make it true.

A far more legitimate concern is the use and abuse of prescription opioids in football. There is conclusive evidence that those medicines are, indeed, gateways to heroin.

Says the dope smoker
 

From what I've read, most players say it's very good at pain relief, with few side affects like the munchies. Given the most likely alternative of taking an opiate, it's a no-brainer.

From what I've read the newest studies are showing it actually has very little affect for pain relief. Which is very surprising to me but the jury is still out on it. As another poster mentioned, marijuana isn't an actual proven gateway drug while prescription opioids are absolutely a proven gateway drug so if marijuana is legal and athletes want to use it for pain instead of prescription opioids and it works for them I'm absolutely for it.
 

From what I've read the newest studies are showing it actually has very little affect for pain relief. Which is very surprising to me but the jury is still out on it. As another poster mentioned, marijuana isn't an actual proven gateway drug while prescription opioids are absolutely a proven gateway drug so if marijuana is legal and athletes want to use it for pain instead of prescription opioids and it works for them I'm absolutely for it.

https://www.practicalpainmanagement...nic-pain-cannabis-helps-former-football-pro-0

https://www.washingtonpost.com/spor...0e4656c22aa_story.html?utm_term=.592b9b3bcf4b

http://www.npr.org/2016/11/21/50261...killer-choices-hope-for-relaxed-marijuana-ban
 


I thought maybe the word "studies" was self explanatory. I'm talking about actual scientific studies. The newest studies show marijuana has little affect for pain relief, especially chronic pain. Like I said, the jury is still out though as there are conflicting results recently.

Your articles are cute, I can post those too: (hint, mine are newer than yours)
http://www.cnn.com/2017/08/14/health/medical-marijuana-pain-ptsd-study/index.html

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-cannabis-pain-ptsd-idUSKCN1AU2DG
 

I thought maybe the word "studies" was self explanatory. I'm talking about actual scientific studies. The newest studies show marijuana has little affect for pain relief, especially chronic pain. Like I said, the jury is still out though as there are conflicting results recently.

Your articles are cute, I can post those too: (hint, mine are newer than yours)
http://www.cnn.com/2017/08/14/health/medical-marijuana-pain-ptsd-study/index.html

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-cannabis-pain-ptsd-idUSKCN1AU2DG

Double cute, two newer articles that essentially point to the same source. My point is there are a growing number of former players using it instead of a concoction of highly addictive opiates to effectively control their pain.
 

Double cute, two newer articles that essentially point to the same source. My point is there are a growing number of former players using it instead of a concoction of highly addictive opiates to effectively control their pain.

That was my whole point. Seems to be over your head.

Also notice I said if it works for them then I'm absolutely for it?
 

That was my whole point. Seems to be over your head.

Also notice I said if it works for them then I'm absolutely for it?

I completely got it. Was merely pointed to some of what I have read, for which you felt the need to throw in some completely unnecessary personal shots while doing the same.
 

I completely got it. Was merely pointed to some of what I have read, for which you felt the need to throw in some completely unnecessary personal shots while doing the same.

Most ladies like being called cute... :confused:
 



PMWinSTP acts like a complete and utter a$$ on this board. I'm offended that you use "cute" in reference to her.

Amazing. Yet another insightful, enlightening, and well thought out post from you. Where in the world do you come up with such brilliance time and time again?

If posting links to point to some of what I read is is being an utter a$$, that would apply to virtually every poster out here. Again, brilliant!
 

Amazing. Yet another insightful, enlightening, and well thought out post from you. Where in the world do you come up with such brilliance time and time again?

If posting links to point to some of what I read is is being an utter a$$, that would apply to virtually every poster out here. Again, brilliant!

I've seen you get your cute personal jabs in before too. So it's a little weird to get so butt hurt when I make fun of you for posting a couple news stories when I was talking about actual studies. But, I don't really care.
 

Butt hurt? I said they were unnecessary. You seemed to read a lot into those responses and got somehow worked up. Again, I merely posted some of what I read related to my post...about players who use it for that purpose.

Yup, you got butt hurt.
 

I've seen you get your cute personal jabs in before too. So it's a little weird to get so butt hurt when I make fun of you for posting a couple news stories when I was talking about actual studies. But, I don't really care.

Butt hurt? I said they were unnecessary. You seemed to read a lot into those responses and got somehow worked up. Again, I merely posted some of what I read related to my post...about players who use it for that purpose.
 

Butt hurt? I said they were unnecessary. You seemed to read a lot into those responses and got somehow worked up. Again, I merely posted some of what I read related to my post...about players who use it for that purpose.

Yup, you got butt hurt.
 

TIME OUT. OK, both of you go stand in the corner for 15 minutes and think about your behavior.

Seriously - let's say that marijuana is not as effective in a clinical sense as a pain reliever. There could be a placebo affect going on. FB player X is hurting after a rough game or practice. He smokes some weed, and he relaxes. He feels better. So, he determines that marijuana is a pain reliever. It may not be a "pain reliever" in the clinical sense, but if it makes the player feel better, and he isn't focusing on his pain, it does have a beneficial impact on the player. And then he tells his teammates, "hey, smoke some pot and you'll feel better." And so it goes.

I know when I was smoking a lot of pot, I felt better when I was high. I was convinced that life was better when I was high. Now, I was not nursing any FB injuries, but I know how pot made me feel. Plus, if you were high, you could sit up and watch crappy movies on HBO and they seemed more entertaining.
 




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