In light of a report from the Washington Post that the NFL and NFL Players Association (NFLPA) plan to form two committees that will study the effects of cannabis on pain management, newly retired defensive end Chris Longrevealed on the Dan Patrick Show that he regularly used marijuana throughout his 11-year career.
"I certainly enjoyed my fair share on a regular basis through my career," Long said, at the 1:32 mark. "I was never afraid to say that, but I'm able to say it more explicitly now. Listen, if not for that, I'm not as capable of coping with the stresses of day-to-day the NFL life."
When it came to testing, Long explains that coming up clean wasn't an issue since the league tests once a year at a predetermined date. However, he admitted that it is during this time where players will seek out alternative pain management options that can be more harmful than marijuana.
"In that month or two that you stop, you’re going to reach for the sleeping pills, you’re going to reach for the pain-killers and you’re going to reach for the bottle a little bit more On the weekend, you're going to have a few more drinks, and a few turns into a few too many. It's just not the same," Long continued. "If you’re serious about players not using, you'd be testing more often. I hope they go the opposite direction and just kind of realize how arbitrary that one test is."
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