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SPORTSThursday 10 March 2016
Can cousin of marijuana plant ease NFL’s concussion problem?
JIM LITKE tive as CBD seems to be
... and it was non-psycho-
AP Sports Writer active, non-addictive and
non-toxic, and had none
Former Chicago Bears of the stigma attached
to it that marijuana does.
quarterback Jim McMa- We’d be all over it,” said
Joel Stanley, co-founder
hon calls himself “old of CW Botanicals and the
eldest of six brothers work-
school,” including his use ing in the family’s medical
marijuana business in Colo-
of marijuana both during rado. “We think we already
have it.”
and after his career. They began growing medi-
cal marijuana in 2009 and
Yet McMahon’s stab at soon after produced a
strain they called “Hippie’s
self-medicating could Disappointment,” because
it was high in CBD but low
be ahead of its time. Re- in THC. There was no mar-
ket for it until 2012, when
searchers at Johns Hop- Page Figli, whose 5-year-
old daughter Charlotte
kins plan to test whether a suffered from intractable
epilepsy, came searching
compound found in hemp for CBD-rich oil. Soon after
using it, according to her
— and its notorious cousin, parents. Charlotte’s sei-
zures dropped from hun-
cannabis — proves as ef- dreds per day to almost
none. The Stanleys, who
fective in treating brain in- said their waiting list for
treatment once numbered
juries as testimonials claim. 12,000 families, renamed
the strain Charlotte’s Web.
Some former players be- “I can’t think of a better,
safer thing to look at help-
lieve cannabidiol, or CBD, ing players dealing with a
range of injuries and pain,”
could help millions who suf- Stanley said. “They’re al-
ready pumping dangerous
fer brain injuries each year, pills into these guys like it’s
candy.”
including chronic traumat- McMahon, 56, has been
diagnosed with early on-
ic encephalopathy, a de- set dementia and struggles
with many of the atten-
generative disease caused dant symptoms: depres-
sion, memory loss, vision
by repeated concussions and speech impairment
and severe headaches.
and found in many former In this Jan. 28, 2016 photo, former Chicago Bears quarterback Jim McMahons smokes medical
marijuana in Chicago. McMahon calls himself “old school,” including his use of marijuana both
NFL players whose brains during and after his career.
have been autopsied. Associated Press
“I don’t think any of us re-
gret what we did,” said
Jake Plummer, who played encouraged by a CNN
documentary on medical
10 seasons before retir- marijuana, thousands of
parents whose children’s
ing in 2007. “But there’s no diagnoses range from au-
tism to epilepsy mounted
question it comes at a real a Facebook campaign to
sing its praises. They were
cost.” soon joined by adults suf-
fering from cancer or Par-
Along with a handful of kinson’s disease. Many
reported better pain man-
other retired players, Plum- agement, impactful mood
changes and significant
mer felt strongly enough decreases in seizures.
Some families even relo-
about the benefits of us- cated to Colorado to use
CBD legally.
ing CBD to appear in a “Imagine if we’d suddenly
found a plant extract in the
public-service campaign Amazon that was as effec-
titled “When the Bright
Lights Fade.” It was spon-
sored by Realm of Car-
ing, a nonprofit research
organization and CW Bo-
tanicals, a dietary supple-
ments company special- In this Nov. 15, 2015, file photo, former Denver Broncos quarter-
back Jake Plummer smiles on the sidelines during an NFL foot-
izing in hemp products. It ball game between the Broncos and the Kansas City Chiefs in
Denver.
was released Wednesday
Associated Press
as part of National Brain In-
jury Awareness month with
the goal of raising $100,000 for football players, but diseases.
for the millions of others it Versions of the CBD com-
to begin the Johns Hopkins could help.” pound are available in
Because of a lack of re- some stores and online in
study.https://www.you- search and varying federal creams, pills and oils. Some
and state regulations, the claim to be rich in CBD,
tube.com/watch?v=WAX- science and the law on with little or no THC (tet-
CBD are far from settled. rahydrocannabinol), the
e40I1sU&feature=youtu.be Major medical organiza- psychoactive agent that
tions have not supported produces a “high.” At least
“I’ve had friends, guys I marijuana to treat concus- one manufacturer says its
sions, but many also say CBD product won’t trip a
played alongside, whose what the U.S. government positive NFL drug test. Ac-
patent on cannabinoids, cording to the Food and
mood changed from including CBD, states: They Drug Administration, none
act as “neuroprotectants” are approved for the “di-
night to day. I know oth- and have shown to be ef- agnosis, cure, mitigation,
fective at limiting damage treatment, or prevention of
ers who’ve replaced hel- in cases of stroke or trauma any disease.”
and to treat degenerative But in the last three years,
lacious amounts of pain-
killers with CBD ... and I
hope this gets even more
guys involved,” Plummer
said. “The bigger the num-
ber, the better chance
we have to get in front of In this Jan. 28, 2016 photo, medicinal marijuana and the pipe
that former Chicago Bears quarterback Jim McMahon uses to
(NFL commissioner) Roger smoke it are seen in Chicago.
Goodell and say, ‘You Associated Press
need to fund this.’ Not just
