Former Aztec football star, Kyle Turley, believes cannabis saved his life, as he says his opioid addiction would have ended in suicide. He is also convinced cannabis countered the effects of CTE.
Football star saved from a downward spiral of opioid addiction by cannabis for concussion
Turley is not the only one who believes cannabinoids can reduce brain inflammation, as well as being a neuro-protectant, and even a neuro-regenerative.
NBC San Diego covered the testimony of the former San Diego State player. Turley played 8 seasons in the NFL. The game took its toll on Kyle, and the impact on his body, as with many NFL players, is what made him reach for the opioids.
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Opioid addiction rampant with NFL players
There are reports of players taking up to 30 opioid painkillers a day, just to keep the edge off the pain they endure because of injuries incurred playing this tough game.
Kyle says he wasn’t quite at 30 a day, but he was on a downward spiral that led to a very deep, dark place of depression. He even considered ending the pain forever. He was introduced to marijuana by chance, and it changed his life. His quality of life improved.
There were no more painkillers, and no more suicidal thoughts. Kyle had such a profound experience with cannabis that he founded Neuro Armor, a company that develops cannabis products.
He says it is very important that people get to understand the full extent of what the plant can do. He has seen unbelievable things in his community, and what it did for him was life-saving.
Even CBD is banned
Turley hopes the NFL will change their stance as they currently even ban CBD, the non-psychoactive compound in marijuana. He hopes research will turn the tables as the NFL Players Association is forming a committee to study the effects of marijuana in pain management. The NFL is also looking for a new Chief Medical Officer to oversee health initiatives, and specified the candidate must be well versed in the science of cannabis.
Cannabis has a neuro-protective effect
Science is finding evidence of the neuro-protective benefits of cannabis. It is proving to be advantageous to potential traumatic brain injury (TBI) patients. Research is still in initial stages, but Dr. Stuart Titus is very hopeful. He says it has been proven in mice that cannabis has anti-inflammatory benefits as well as a neuro-protectant, and even neuro-regenerative abilities.
Dr. Titus says cannabinoids can provide the exact protection football players need most. He explains that some great research from UCLA Medical Center showed that, out of 450 young adults who suffered traumatic brain injury (TBI), those who used cannabis regularly had an 80% better chance of survival.
Can’t be – 20 veteran suicides a day?
Turley says San Diego has every reason to want to advance the science behind cannabis, since 22 soldiers commit suicide every day. (The Department of Veterans Affairs confirmed the number of veterans who commit suicide daily is 20).
Turley claims the most decorated NFL veteran, Junior Seau, could be alive today if he knew the effects of the brain disease Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE), and was given the right medicine to handle it.
NFL should take note of cannabis for concussion
Research into cannabis for concussion is ongoing, and at least the NFL is starting to take note. They should look into any solution considering all the concussion issues that land at their door. Sport is meant to be healthy!
