Could the NHLPA allow players to use marijuana?

[kingsholygrail]

Probably a bad idea given it's still illegal on a federal level.

 

[viper0220]

Marijuana legalization is just dumbing down of the society, hopefully it is not allowed in pro sports.

 

[KarmaPolice]

They should. Infinitely better than alcohol and pain pills in almost every aspect.

Yep, those things can be incredibly destructive in terms of how addictive they are, and once that happens it tends to slowly suck the 'soul' and life of the individual, as well as empty their bank accounts in relatively short time if the addiction is bad enough -- seen it happen to some friends and family many times. Oh, and then there's the death that too often occurs when a person is deep in the throes of addiction and overdoses.

I hardly think marijuana is perfect, and I've known people that got addicted to it to some degree (albeit after smoking a LOT every day for months), but it's not nearly as destructive -- not even close -- and is a much lesser evil over all. Hockey players are always going to be going through a lot of pain, and plain old Tylenol isn't going to cut it. But throwing strong narcotic pills will do more damage to a lot of individuals in the end. Medical marijuana makes sense to me, given the options out there. Naproxen is a bit better/stronger and lasts much longer than Tylenol and ibuprophen, but it still wouldn't cut it for many hockey injuries.

 

[KCC]

the smell of marijuana is unbearable. Disgusting.

 

[GrandmaSlices51631]

the smell of marijuana is unbearable. Disgusting.

What does that have to do with the topic at hand?

It doesn't smell nearly as bad as a hockey locker room.

 

[Atas2000]

People are free to destroy their bodies in any way available. This is the modern understanding of freedom.

I would allow it in general. As a GM or coach I would throw the f... out a player that I'd know doing it. For the record: it applies to all drugs including alcohol. Yes, not possible in today's society, sad but true.

 

[M2Beezy]

I'm a daily user (both recreationally and for a while medicinally) for about 15 years and have been smoking for over 20. I hardly drink any alcohol as I feel terrible the next day, I work out every day, I have no health issues outside of old hockey injuries (which weed has helped me recover narcotic free after surgeries) and have held down the same really good job for 11yrs. I've have never touched another drug outside of Magic Mushrooms once in high school when I was 15 (37 now).

I played with a lot of hockey players that ended up playing in random professional leagues in Canada and Europe who were heavy weed smokers. The ones with drinking problems hardly ever made it. I don't think you realize how many hockey players are hardcore party animals, I know in Ottawa it was pretty well known that a few of the star players were habitual cocaine users in the past (as witnessed by many in bars).

Yeah thanks for your story it helps shed LIGHT on why a lotta people who start smoking pot turn to much worse drugs. Hence the GATEWAY drug label

 

[M2Beezy]

Keep your head in the sand then.

Edit meh

 

[Beezeral]

It seems a lot of you haven’t been around hockey locker rooms. Smoking marijuana is prevalent on pretty much every competitive team from midget age to the NHL.

 

[10Ducky10]

I'd be afraid of Dustin Byfuglien getting the munchies though.

Might eat Ehlers!

 

[Quid Pro Clowe]

the smell of marijuana is unbearable. Disgusting.

The smell of what pain killers and alcohol do to a person's stomach, kidneys, liver and GI tract is worse.

 

[Jordan Belfort]

They should, but conservatives have continuously banned it and tried to hide it from the population. I wish I could say I am surprised but all conservatives tend to think the 1950s was the golden age. #backwardthinking

 

[JadedLeaf]

Yeah thanks for your story it helps shed LIGHT on why a lotta people who start smoking pot turn to much worse drugs. Hence the GATEWAY drug label

You're throwing around labels that have been debunked long time ago. You sound like someone that just got their info from a reefer-madness booklet from 1980... You bring up things that have been proven false for over a decade. The gateway drug theory has nothing to do with marijuana and everything to do with street dealers typically sell other things besides marijuana. There's NOTHING in marijuana that leads to some phenomena where you magically become addicted to some other drug. The fact that you suggest that implies a pretty deep ignorance or how addiction works.

Smoking magic mushrooms? Something that's completely and totally non addicting. Also not something you smoke...

 

[JadedLeaf]

They should, but conservatives have continuously banned it and tried to hide it from the population. I wish I could say I am surprised but all conservatives tend to think the 1950s was the golden age. #backwardthinking

Some conservatives weren't able to vote on it because they stood to gain financially from marijuana becoming legal.

 

[M2Beezy]

You're throwing around labels that have been debunked long time ago. You sound like someone that just got their info from a reefer-madness booklet from 1980... You bring up things that have been proven false for over a decade. The gateway drug theory has nothing to do with marijuana and everything to do with street dealers typically sell other things besides marijuana. There's NOTHING in marijuana that leads to some phenomena where you magically become addicted to some other drug. The fact that you suggest that implies a pretty deep ignorance or how addiction works.

Smoking magic mushrooms? Something that's completely and totally non addicting. Also not something you smoke...

Never heard of whatever your talking about i was born over 20 years AFTER 1980 so tbh NO CLUE what your trying to get at here. Anyways not suprised many of the people in this thread think this is no big deal

 

[JadedLeaf]

Never heard of whatever your talking about i was born over 20 years AFTER 1980 so tbh NO CLUE what your trying to get at here. Anyways not suprised many of the people in this thread think this is no big deal

Many people in this thread think it's no big deal because of all the evidence, both first hand and scientific that point to it not being a big deal. Whether you've heard of it or not, your "facts" are straight off 60's and 70's propaganda films.

The gateway theory you're talking about was prevalent decades ago when governments were more interested in scaring the general population away from a product that would have harmed the paper industries and others at the time. It's been debunked a looooong time ago. The "gateway" is from street dealers often selling other things besides marijuana, nothing to do with marijuana itself. It's also something that legalizing would eliminate.

"Correlation does not imply causation" is something that you should remember.

 

[Washed Up 29YearOld]

Yes. No question.

Lots of misinfo here though..

1.) Cannabis can still be medicinal with the presence of THC.
2.) Cannabis is NOT a CNS depressant, THC is a psychostimulant.
3.) Cannabis does not necessarily slow down mental processes, the 'sativa' variety can actually increase your energy, neuronal activity, reflexes, memory, and hand-eye coordination.
4.) Cannabis absolutely can give someone an advantage, with a higher hockey IQ and faster reaction time DEPENDING ON THE PERSON, and 'STRAIN' (genetics of the plant).
5.) Just because cannabis affected you a certain way when you smoked it once in college doesn't mean that it affects other people the same way at all, quite the contrary, it affects people uniquely based on their brain predispositions and genetics.
6.) Cannabis is the ANTI-GATEWAY DRUG. If you add THC water to opiate addicted rats, they switch to THC every time in multiple studies.
7.) Your brain DOES have specific receptors for 'marijuana', the endocannabinoid receptors. Look it up.

Also, DEPENDING ON GENETICS AND STRAIN, it can actually increase hockey IQ and maximize playmaking ability with increased vision.

I hope that helps someone.

 

[Leafblooded]

the smell of marijuana is unbearable. Disgusting.

The smell of dirty feet is unbearable and disgusting.

 

[JuniorNelson]

The legalization of marijuana is directed at controlling use and enabling law enforcement. This isn't going to be a Mardi Gras, this is a clampdown. Canada isn't becoming looser on pot, they are codifying it to add limits/laws. It will be illegal to smoke in public places, like arenas and there will be ample enforcement.

 

[MikeGrier99]

If used in moderation I could see marijuana genuinely helping some players games. Heck maybe even introduce some creativity in the game. Also a decent amount of major league sports players in many leagues already use cannabis recreationally. Really a large percentage of the population does. I've heard about a lot of pro athletes using it, including some NHLers. Dock Ellis even pitched a big league no hitter on LCD (true story).

 

[member 116861]

I am 100% convinced that a certain short chubby offensive defenseman on the Aves smokes his fair share of marijuana.

 

[wolfgaze]

Well the league already tolerates it:

How Cannabis Helped NHL Enforcer Riley Cote Survive His Hockey Career | Leafly
==========================
Cote estimates that half of all NHL players consume cannabis in their personal lives. “I would say around the 50 percent mark at a minimum,” he told Leafly.

They don’t call attention to it, though. Pro hockey players also tend to keep a lower profile than other pro athletes. Pro football players routinely get suspended for failing cannabis drug tests. You almost never hear of a hockey player getting into trouble for marijuana.

One of the reasons for that could be that the NHL has one of the least strict stances on cannabis consumption in the world or pro sports leagues. There are three drug tests a year, Cote said, and the league basically turns a blind eye to cannabis. Cannabis is not on the league’s list of banned substances.
======================================================

 

[VainGretzky]

You seriously believe that?
The only gateway weed opens to is the fridge.

I agree I smoked weed for many years I quit in 2007 only because it made me procastinate . never did any other street drugs in my life so not a gateway .

 

[RageQuit77]

They should, but conservatives have continuously banned it and tried to hide it from the population. I wish I could say I am surprised but all conservatives tend to think the 1950s was the golden age. #backwardthinking

Yep. During 20s' to '50s you could freely buy amphetamines, heroine, cocaine, morphine, and multitude of other now illegal/prohibited drugs from apotecharies at least here in Finland. Last supplies of surplus stocks of notorious Pervitin (of Nazi-Germany origin, rejected by Wehrmacth due too severe side-effects) were in use in Finnish sport scenes after WWII... and so on. Coca Cola's ingredients were more closely representing the product's name, the product that primary marketing target group was children and women (also pregnant)...

But God Dammit! The worst thing imaginable is and was the pot! Those pesky, dirty long haired hippies, and their hookahs and bongs, curse! The State collects incredible amounts of tax revenue from Tobacco and Alcohol, but somehow they cannot collect those fees from Cannabis-products. Makes no sense at all. Every idiot part-time gardener can make it grow even north of arctic circle. State-controlled and regulated cannabis markets could also help to keep cultivars more mental friendly as the trend has been going to more and more harsher uber-THC-brainraper bombs, some of them now only remotely resembling something that can be called an old good weed: enjoyable experience and delicacy for daily recreational use.

Legalize it!

For hockey players, some kind mild, sweet space cakes consumed after practices with energy drink would do best. Like as a muscle relaxant.

 

[HabsForHire]

You're throwing around labels that have been debunked long time ago. You sound like someone that just got their info from a reefer-madness booklet from 1980... You bring up things that have been proven false for over a decade. The gateway drug theory has nothing to do with marijuana and everything to do with street dealers typically sell other things besides marijuana. There's NOTHING in marijuana that leads to some phenomena where you magically become addicted to some other drug. The fact that you suggest that implies a pretty deep ignorance or how addiction works.

Smoking magic mushrooms? Something that's completely and totally non addicting. Also not something you smoke...

Let alone you cant smoke shrooms, heat destroys the active psilocybin