Even though a number of states across America have legalized or are in the process of legalizing marijuana for medical or recreational use, it doesn't appear as though the NFL will change its stance on the drug anytime soon. While speaking on ESPN’s "Mike and Mike" on Friday morning, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said marijuana has an "addictive nature" and may not "be healthy for the players long-term." For that reason, he won't remove it from the league's banned substances list.
"I think you still have to look at a lot of aspects of marijuana use," Goodell said. "Is it something that can be negative to the health of our players? Listen, you're ingesting smoke, so that's not usually a very positive thing that people would say. It does have addictive nature. There are a lot of compounds in marijuana that may not be healthy for the players long-term. All of those things have to be considered."
"And it’s not as simple as someone just wants to feel better after a game," he continued. "We really want to help our players in that circumstance but I want to make sure that the negative consequences aren't something that is something that we'll be held accountable for some years down the road."
