Trusted premium CBD brand Love Hemp has welcomed news that the National Football League is investing into CBD research.
The NFL has awarded $1 million to study the impact of cannabis and CBD on pain management.
The money will be used to fund two teams of medical researchers at the University of California San Diego and University of Regina. The studies will analyse the effects of cannabinoids on pain management and neuroprotection from concussion in elite football players.
The goal of the NFL Joint Pain Management Committee is to ‘address the challenges of pain management for current NFL players’ and to ‘facilitate research to better understand and improve potential alternative treatments.’
The Committee received over 100 proposals from top clinicians and researchers from around the world.
One clinical trial, which is being led by Dr Thomas Marcotte and Dr Mark Wallace along with colleagues at the University of California San Diego, will assess the therapeutic efficacy and adverse effects of THC, CBD and combined THC/CBD, compared to a placebo, for relief of post-competition soft-tissue injury pain in elite athletes.
The funding will also be used to determine whether CBD and THC can be used safely and effectively for pain management and to reduce the use of prescription medications in post-concussion syndrome athletes. This trial will be led by Dr Patrick Neary and researchers at the University of Regina.
Dr Allen Sills, NFL Chief Medical Officer, said: “We have the opportunity to fund these scientifically-sound studies on the use of cannabinoids that may lead to the discovery of data-based evidence that could impact the pain management of our players.”
Elite professional athletes outside of the NFL will be participating in the studies. NFL players are not permitted to participate.
Love Hemp CEO and co-founder Tony Calamita said: “We welcome the news that the National Football League is investing in CBD research and looking at its effects on pain management.
“We know many UFC athletes, fans and fitness enthusiasts who use CBD for training recovery purposes so we look forward to seeing the results of these new trials.”
Last year Love Hemp signed a five-year partnership with mixed martial arts giant the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). The UFC wants to play a prominent role in educating athletes on CBD use and the role it plays in athlete health and injury recovery.
Many UFC athletes use CBD for training recovery purposes. Kamaru Usman, the current UFC Welterweight Champion, takes Love Hemp’s CBD oil.
