Joe Rogan is possibly one of the most outspoken men in not only MMA history but modern pop-culture. His podcast ‘The Joe Rogan Experience’ sees people from all walks of life come and talk to Rogan about many issues.
On his latest podcast with Brian Muraresku and Graham Hancock, the conversation of marijuana use in the NFL came up. After Muraresku told a story about working with Mike James, a former NFL player who applied for a therapeutic use exemption for marijuana and was denied, Joe Rogan went on a small rant talking about how keeping marijuana away from sports ‘doesn’t make sense’.
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He said, “Who’s that other famous football player that couldn’t kick the weed? That’s right, Ricky Williams. It’s amazing that the NFL would have a problem with marijuana when so many of those guys are on pills. Some of those guys are so severely injured. I mean, it is one of the most brutal sports, if not the most brutal sport in the world. And the fact that these guys can’t seek marijuana for relief when they allow them to take opioids is bananas. It just doesn’t make any sense.”
Has Joe Rogan made a good point about marijuana use in sport?
Joe Rogan has long been an advocate for the legalization of marijuana for recreational use. He has even smoked weed on his podcast with his guests, most notably Elon Musk. Rogan also once had a lengthy debate over the legalization of marijuana with Ben Shapiro. He has never hidden his feelings about this subject.
However, it is far more serious in this context. Many athletes have said that marijuana use is what helped them avoid opioid abuse during their careers. Matt Barnes, a former NBA veteran and now ESPN analyst has spoken about all of this plenty of times.
While it is fair to say that the debate around marijuana usage in sports is still puritanical, people have started coming around on it. Its obvious benefits from a medical standpoint should be enough for sports leagues across the world to accommodate it. The NBA is trying, USADA is trying on UFC’s behalf, and Rogan has called for the NFL to make similar progress.
