The NFL paid for a cannabis study. The results made the case for less stigma, not more testing.

A study published in the journal Sports Health, partly funded by the NFL-NFLPA joint pain management committee, interviewed 10 current and former elite contact-sport athletes from professional and college leagues about how they actually use cannabis. Researchers from the University of Saskatchewan and University of Regina ran the interviews.

The pattern was consistent: athletes described using cannabis intentionally for pain management, sleep, mental health, and recovery, and several said they preferred it to alcohol in social settings. One athlete put it plainly: it "puts your body at ease" and beats a painkiller "from a prolonged long-term perspective."

What athletes said they're not getting is honest information from the people who employ them. Despite years of loosened testing policies across pro sports, the study found players still rely mostly on peer advice rather than team or league guidance, because stigma keeps team doctors and health staff from engaging on the subject directly.

The researchers' conclusion wasn't "study this more before anyone uses it" — it was that leagues should reduce anti-marijuana stigma and start providing real education, since athletes are already using cannabis regardless. That's a notably blunt ask from a body largely funded by a league that spent decades punishing players for the same behavior.