


Marijuana use has long been a part of sports' subculture, especially and fittingly in a place nicknamed the Mile High City. It soon may become part of the mainstream. New laws taking effect Wednesday in Colorado allow the retail sale of recreational marijuana.

But as much as society often mirrors changes in sports culture, to most of the ruling bodies of sports, weed remains a four-letter word. Fiercely protective of their image, they don't want athletes openly smoking marijuana, regardless of what Colorado voters might say. There is evidence in recent surveys, however, that society's changing views toward marijuana, specifically widespread acceptance of the medicinal benefits in alleviating pain, are thawing previous hard-line stances.




“It's going to be a hard row to hoe,” said Allen St. Pierre, the executive director of NORML, the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws. “It's a sexy topic because it shows a clear conflict with law and holding athletes to a double standard. ... But now that those legal mores are changing, one should hope these athletes should enjoy the benefits of what's been a 50-year civil justice movement.”

Asked if legal marijuana would alter the NBA as we know it, Nuggets coach Brian Shaw said, “Just like people got accustomed to alcohol, I don't think it's so far out there that it would change anything.”

He pointed out that the NBA didn't officially start testing for marijuana until 1999. “So the NBA has already had a time where marijuana was a big part of the league and wasn't being tested for,” he said. “I do understand that the league is trying to market and portray a certain image, and all of these players are commodities and entities.”


“(Marijuana) is part of the culture of 20-something kids. But the people of the older generation have a different idea about what marijuana is and does,” he said. “It's weird, because the perception is: We can't let these guys smoke weed because they are going to be 'stoners.' But the thing is, these guys are at the very, very top of their profession. They are not burned-out stoners on grandma's couch watching movies. They are the best in the world at what they do, so if they become so enamored with weed that it affects their job performance, they are going to get cut. (Most players) are not stupid enough to let it come between them and their jobs.”

Banned by NFL, MLB, NBA


“When (these laws) happened, we knew a professional athlete somewhere would run afoul of the law and make the argument, 'I should be a legal recipient of this, and if I'm legally receiving, I shouldn't be held to some standard like I'm a criminal,' ” said NORML's St. Pierre.



And so, there's a stigma. Numerous athletes interviewed for this story, including four Broncos, wouldn't go on the record when asked about their view of legalization. Use of marijuana is believed to be widespread among pro football players. Last year, former Detroit Lions lineman Lomas Brown made news by saying at least 50 percent of NFL players probably smoke marijuana. An ESPN survey this year found that 70 percent of the prospects at the NFL scouting combine admitted to using marijuana in college.

“Yeah, guys smoke marijuana. That's the way it is,” said former Nuggets guard Earl Boykins, who said he has never smoked cannabis. “It has nothing to do with the team, or the legality. If you want to smoke, you're going to smoke. If you get caught, you release a statement.”

Professional painkillers



Jackson's NFL injury history is similar to most of the modern-day gladiators who throw their bodies into on-coming traffic every Sunday during the season. So, what's the big deal if a player relaxes with a little marijuana on Sunday night to help with the pain?

“I think in the NFL, in particular, players have a legitimate and substantial claim to use medical marijuana,” Jackson said. “They live in a great deal of pain on a daily basis, and marijuana helps with that. ... I think it's the most innocuous of the pain medicines that players can use.





“So now, I think there's actually a legitimate argument to be made — maybe those who are using cannabinoids have an edge against those who don't. That makes it so we have to have a serious discussion about the science and pharmacology of cannabis.”

What is a cannabinoid?

As St. Pierre explained, it's a range of a drug molecule, and a type of it, called CBD, “is like the new green gold in Colorado, because the argument is, you can deliver the product without a head high and still get all of those good body effects. So people in Colorado, particularly Dixie Elixir in Denver, one of their claims to fames is they're developing high CBD-rich product.

“So, these athletes could really benefit. I'm sure when these lawyers and labor folks negotiate these contracts, it adds another onion layer to this, about what do they want to do in the future.”

Leafs lighting up leaves



“We make a lot of money to perform at a high level, so if guys were coming into the locker room stoned out of their mind, they won't perform at a high level,” said Broncos defensive tackle Terrance Knighton. “There has to be some type of governing.

“But you'd rather a guy drive stoned than drive drunk. So there's a double standard there. And if you watch television, all you see is beer commercials. Everybody and their mother is watching the Super Bowl, and it's either a Doritos commercial or a Bud Light commercial.”

Maybe by 2043, marijuana will be as much a part of sports culture as it's a part of Colorado culture in 2013. Advertisements for cannabis will cover outfield walls in ballparks like the ivy does at Wrigley Field. The NBA's Blazers will truly be blazers. And joints will help hockey players rest their sore joints, Leafs lighting up leaves.


“If we advance the clock 30 years from now, and marijuana is purely blasé, nonplus — just like tea and coffee consumption, and alcohol to be sure — then think about how does an athlete deal with this stuff now?” St. Pierre asked. “It's kind of a social contract, when they sign these huge contracts, they agree to all kinds of behavior they're not going to do, largely not to embarrass the team.”