Clark: NFL players going to use pot

[feltdizz]

You don't have disease without a substance. On my mother's side of the family...we have preachers, teachers, and addicts. That's about it. They have either abstained entirely all their lives, or tried it and were off to the races. My mother...wonderful mom...God fearing woman...teacher...principle...business owner never touched the stuff. She was honest, and a good person. In her mid 50's she decided to try a wine cooler at a party...within 3 years she was on a ventilator after trying to take her life for the 8th time due to depression caused by alcoholism. That's how this thing works.

Me...grew up in the church...didn't cuss...didn't smoke...pre-med biology. I lose a 4 year relationship, decide hey screw it I'll hit that joint...within 4 months I'm living out of my car...using all my money to smoke pot...not going to class...about threw my life away. This is "just pot". Can you imagine what I would have done with crack cocaine?

Neither my mom or myself were bad, immoral people without will power. I would argue we were the exact opposite of that. Yet, once exposed to the chemical...it changed the way our brains worked. Without help both of us would be dead. Thankfully both of us are in recovery. Without treating addiction, few have a chance and they will leave a wake of death and destruction all around them...hence the reason why the public has little sympathy or compassion for my people.

if you didn't have a joint after that relationship you would have found something else to replace it to help ease the pain.

[feltdizz]

I agree with alcohol. Nicotine and caffeine are up for debate in the addiction community. My argument against that would be we have 7 decades of men and women in AA meetings drinking pots of coffee, smoking cigarettes and staying sober.

take away the caffiene and cigs and watch what happens....

[Oviedo]

Ryan Clark sort of threw the Steelers under the bus at lunch today on Colin Cowherd's show. The substitute host was talking to him and he said something like "I know lots of my teammates on my team who are smoking marijuana." Nice job Ryan.

[Shawn]

if you didn't have a joint after that relationship you would have found something else to replace it to help ease the pain.

I'm sure you are right. Again, I'm not trying to demonize marijuana...but saying it's not without risks for everyone, and addiction risks for some.

Let me add here that addicts don't have the monopoly on crazy, issues or poor coping skills. They just choose chemicals because of the way it effects their brains. Others may use work, sex, porn, materialism, one uping the Jones', hyper-religiosity, food, gambling, relationships, affairs, gossip etc. to sooth their pain. In my experience, very few people deal with significant loss or stress well. Very few people on this planet deal with these things in healthy ways.

[Shawn]

take away the caffiene and cigs and watch what happens....

I know many addicts who have eventually given up the cigarettes. Most drink some caffeine. I gave up cigarettes around 3 years ago, have one cup of coffee a day. It's all about replacing poor coping skills (chemicals) with healthy coping skills (honesty, asking for help, community, etc.) Every human being on the planet will look to avoid pain, get out of pain and use whatever skills they have to do so. That isn't just an addict thing.

[feltdizz]

I'm sure you are right. Again, I'm not trying to demonize marijuana...but saying it's not without risks for everyone, and addiction risks for some.

Let me add here that addicts don't have the monopoly on crazy, issues or poor coping skills. They just choose chemicals because of the way it effects their brains. Others may use work, sex, porn, materialism, one uping the Jones', hyper-religiosity, food, gambling, relationships, affairs, gossip etc. to sooth their pain. In my experience, very few people deal with significant loss or stress well. Very few people on this planet deal with these things in healthy ways.

great post... I agree 100%

[hawaiiansteel]

Mark Brunell: NFL needs to crack down on marijuana

Posted by Michael David Smith on February 7, 2014

As American attitudes toward marijuana change, the NFL is no different: Players have come out recently to say it’s time for the league to stop testing them for pot, and although NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell isn’t ready to go that far, Goodell did open the door to the possibility of players using marijuana for medicinal reasons.

But not everyone in and around the NFL is on board with relaxing rules against reefer. Former NFL quarterback Mark Brunell, now a commentator for ESPN, said on SportsCenter today that far from allowing players to smoke pot, the NFL needs to be cracking down on them.

“I believe it’s harmful,” Brunell said. “I believe it has a negative effect on not only NFL players but anybody that does it. . . . Testing should be increased.”

With some NFL players saying it’s easy to beat marijuana testing, Brunell said that proves the NFL has to make that testing more stringent.

“I think if you’re going to test for marijuana, it needs to be random, it needs to be often,” Brunell said. “It has to be stricter, just like the performance-enhancing drug testing is going to be strict.”

Most of the players who have spoken about marijuana testing have taken the opposite view. But Brunell’s view may be the majority view among NFL owners. Which means the players have an uphill battle if they want to see the rules of drug testing change.

[URL]http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2014/02/07/mark-brunell-nfl-needs-to-crack-down-on-marijuana/[/URL]

[NorthCoast]

Interesting topic.
In reality, the answers are as myriad as the human race. What is true is that coping mechanisms can change throughout one's life. What works in your 20s may not work in your 50s. I am no expert, but I would guess this is partly due to changing physiology with age. Most guys in the 20s don't need Viagra or suffer low T. On the otherhand, most smokers are not in their 60s or 70s. They have found other 'distractions' in their life to keep them occupied.

[AzStillers1989]

Ryan Clark says NFL players, including some of his Pittsburgh Steelers teammates, turn to smoking marijuana for a variety of reasons, especially as a means to relieve pain and manage stress.

Clark, a 12-year veteran, discussed the topic of marijuana usage and the league's testing system Thursday morning on ESPN's "First Take."

"I know guys on my team who smoke," Clark said. "And it's not a situation where you think 'Oh, these are guys trying to be cool.' These are guys who want to do it recreationally. A lot of it is stress relief. A lot of it is pain and medication. Guys feel like, 'If I can do this, it keeps me away from maybe Vicodin, it keeps me away from pain prescription drugs and things that guys get addicted to.' Guys look at this as a more natural way to heal themselves, to stress relieve and also to medicate themselves for pain. Guys are still going to do it."

Clark also greed with recent comments by New York Jets cornerback Antonio Cromartie, who suggested the league is waging a lost cause in banning the substance, while also saying the league's current testing system isn't all that effective.

"It's 100 percent true. They're fighting a losing battle. The testing isn't stringent," Clark said. "There is one random test during OTAs and minicamps during the offseason, and everybody will be tested early in training camp. After that, there are no more tests. So guys understand the ways to get around failing a drug test."

Marijuana became a hot-button issue at the Super Bowl, as both teams -- the Seattle Seahawks and Denver Broncos -- hail from states that legalized marijuana. Seahawks coach Pete Carroll created headlines by saying he agreed with the notion the league should investigate medicinal marijuana to see if it can help players. Medicinal marijuana is legal in 20 states, plus the District of Columbia.

Commissioner Roger Goodell, addressing the issue Friday at his annual Super Bowl news conference, downplayed the possibility of the league lifting marijuana from its list of banned substances.

"It is still an illegal substance on a national basis," Goodell said. "It's something that is part of the collective bargaining agreement with the players. It is questionable as to the positive impacts, in the face of the very strong evidence of the negative effects, including addictions and other issues.

"We'll continue to follow the medicine. Our experts right now are not indicating that we should change our policy in any way. We are not actively considering that at this point in time. But if it goes down the road sometime, that's something that we would never take off the table."

[URL]http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/10413409/ryan-clark-pittsburgh-steelers-discusses-marijuana-use[/URL]

Look.... any person who is being honest and open about the issue agrees that marijuana is not as harmful as alcohol and cigarettes(which are both legal). It should be legal and people should be able to use it as they please.

[feltdizz]

Look.... any person who is being honest and open about the issue agrees that marijuana is not as harmful as alcohol and cigarettes(which are both legal). It should be legal and people should be able to use it as they please.

I bet my house the NT we released would still be in Pittsburgh if he smoked...