Earlier this year President Barack Obama said weed is not more dangerous to one’s health than alcohol. In an interview for The New Yorker, Obama said while he believes marijuana is “not very healthy”, the drug is not as harmful as some still insist. “As has been well documented, I smoked pot as a kid, and I view it as a bad habit and a vice, not very different from the cigarettes that I smoked as a young person up through a big chunk of my adult life. I don’t think it is more dangerous than alcohol,” Obama told to the New Yorker’s David Remnick. Back to our story – a recent poll by ESPN asked 82 NFL players if they agreed or disagreed with the President’s statements.
Do You Agree With President Obama?
The question was constructed exactly in the way the title suggests: “Do you agree with president Obama that marijuana is no more dangerous than alcohol”. It turned out that President’s words resonated with NFL players – 75% said “yes” while 25% said “no”. Now, we would like to have a word with the 25% who think marijuana is more dangerous than alcohol. Really, they must have compelling arguments in their pockets. Did you know that, as long as NFL players are not driving and are not in public, they can consume as much alcohol as they want? Marijuana consumption on the other hand is forbidden, regardless of the circumstances. If you know anything about consuming alcohol then you are probably aware of all the bad things it can do to your body – to your internal organs, for example, or how it can destroy your relationships and family. If you know anything about marijuana, then you are probably aware of all the good things it can do to your body, such as helping you deal with illnesses and all kinds of conditions – especially if it’s vaporized or consumed in edible form.
NFL’s Strict Marijuana Threshold
It comes as a surprise (or does it?) that the poll was released on the same day that the NFL upheld the suspension of Cleveland Browns wide receiver Josh Gordon. Josh Gordon is being suspended for an entire season because he tested 1 ng/ml higher than the NFL threshold for marijuana. Let us remind you – Gordon was arrested in July for driving while impaired on alcohol. Prior to the arrest, he was already facing a lengthy suspension due to a second failed drug test (this time for marijuana) in two years. “I’d like to apologize to my teammates, coaches, the Cleveland Brown organization and our fans,” Gordon said in a statement. “I am very disappointed that the NFL and its hearing office didn’t exercise better discretion and judgment in my case.” It’s also interesting that the NFL’s marijuana threshold is ten times stricter than the threshold for the Olympics.
