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News Release: SAFER Responds to report of NFL marijuana 'epidemic' among 2010 draft class |
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Written by SAFER
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Wednesday, 24 March 2010 |
For Immediate Release
March 24, 2010
Sports Illustrated: NFL Officials Concerned by 'Epidemic' of Marijuana Use Among This Year's Draft Class Highlighting evidence that marijuana is far SAFER than ALCOHOL for the user and society, national marijuana advocacy organization calls on NFL to stop driving athletes to drink by deriding and punishing those who made -- or make -- the rational choice to use a less harmful recreational substance for recreation and relaxation
Spokesman: 'Booze-fueled' league's acceptance of alcohol use and ties to beer companies contribute to serious problems -- including domestic violence, sexual assault, fighting, injuries, and death -- that are not associated with marijuana use
In response, a national marijuana advocacy organization, Safer Alternative For Enjoyable Recreation (SAFER), is calling on the NFL to stop deriding and punishing those athletes who used -- or continue to use -- marijuana as a safer recreational alternative to alcohol.
"The NFL runs on alcohol, yet it runs from marijuana -- a far safer substance," said Mason Tvert, executive director of SAFER and coauthor of Marijuana Is Safer: So why are we driving people to drink? (Chelsea Green, 2009). "It's time for NFL officials to pull their heads out of the sand and accept the fact that many outstanding athletes -- and millions of Americans -- enjoy using marijuana, just as millions of NFL fans enjoy drinking beer produced by major NFL sponsors like Coors Light and Budweiser.
The organization believes the NFL's current marijuana policy -- which punishes current players who test positive for marijuana and scrutinizes draft prospects who admit to having (or are known to have) used marijuana during their college careers -- steering athletes away from using marijuana and driving them to drink.
As "Inside the NFL" columnist Don Banks reported:
According to one veteran club personnel man interviewed by SI.com, 10 or 11 players who carry first-round draft grades on their board this year have been red-flagged for marijuana use in college, an estimate echoed by two clubs' head coaches. Another NFL head coach estimated that "one-third'' of the players on his club's draft board had some sort of history with marijuana use and would thus require an extra level of evaluation as part of the pre-draft scouting process.
SAFER points to an abundance of evidence that has concluded alcohol is a major contributing factor in incidences of domestic violence, sexual assault, fighting, serious injury, and overdose, whereas marijuana has not been found to contribute to such violent and reckless behavior.
"The NFL needs to stop worrying about the next Ricky Williams and worry more about the next Ben Roethlisberger," Tvert said, referring respectively to the Miami Dolphins running back who repeatedly suspended and fined for marijuana use and the Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback recently accused of alcohol-fueled sexual assault for the second time.
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SAFER (Safer Alternative For Enjoyable Recreation) is a Denver-based non-profit organization dedicated to educating the the public about the fact that marijuana is safer than alcohol for the user and society. Its social welfare lobbying arm, the SAFER Voter Education Fund, advocates for laws and policies that reflect that fact and no longer steer people toward drinking and away from making the safer choice. For more information visit http://www.SAFERchoice.org
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