{"id":1517,"date":"2013-09-11T11:01:56","date_gmt":"2013-09-11T16:01:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/nflconcussionlitigation.com\/?p=1517"},"modified":"2013-09-11T11:01:56","modified_gmt":"2013-09-11T16:01:56","slug":"marijuanas-purported-ability-to-speed-brain-recovery-may-leave-colleges-and-universities-vulnerable","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nflconcussionlitigation.com\/?p=1517","title":{"rendered":"Marijuana\u2019s Purported Ability to Speed Brain Recovery May Leave Colleges and Universities Vulnerable"},"content":{"rendered":"

By: Holt Hackney<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

The following is a piece that was published in the September edition of the\u00a0Concussion Litigation Reporter<\/a>. Concussion Litigation Reporter<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0is published monthly by Hackney Publications. Each issue provides timely reporting on developments and strategies in the emerging legal practice area of sports concussions.\u00a0To learn how to subscribe, click here<\/a><\/em>
\n<\/i><\/p>\n

Collegiate athletics has a pot problem.<\/p>\n

Those in the athletic department that are closest to the student athletes know this. And yet leadership really isn\u2019t sure how to address it. Should they take a hard line and suspend players indefinitely for one failed test, or should they give the athletes several strikes (failed drug tests) before suspending them for a cupcake game for \u201ca violation of team rules?\u201d<\/p>\n

Interestingly, this quandary may become a moot point in a matter of years.<\/p>\n

Why?<\/p>\n

Society\u2019s growing acceptance of the medical applications of marijuana and a tidal wave of funding into the research on how to prevent sports concussions and lessen their tragic consequences, may lead to an inevitable conclusion, according to sources interviewed by\u00a0Concussion Litigation Reporter<\/em>\u00a0\u2013 marijuana may be more beneficial to athletes, than harmful.<\/p>\n

So what happens when marijuana is prescribed in one of the 20 states that allow for the medical use of the drug and a school in that state has rules on the books that call for the punishment of those student athletes that fail a test for the drug?<\/p>\n

\u201cThis will be a whole new area of liability for the schools,\u201d a sports law attorney involved in collegiate athletics told us.<\/p>\n

The Science<\/strong><\/h3>\n

For nearly a century, researchers have been encouraged and given mandates to explore the harmful effects of marijuana. Only recently has that focus started to shift.<\/p>\n

First, there was the recognition that THC, the ingredient associated with \u201cgetting high,\u201d can help those with glaucoma, loss of appetite from chemotherapy, or needing pain relief.<\/p>\n

More recently, the focus has shifted to another ingredient in marijuana. \u201c(Cannabidiol) appears to have profound nerve-protective and brain-enhancing properties,\u201d Chris Kilhan, a FoxNews medical correspondent, said in a 2012 interview, summarizing a growing body of research. Among the many articles that support this conclusion are:<\/p>\n