Report: NFL Hopes to Work With Players Union on Marijuana Use Study

The NFL has written to the NFL Players Association in hopes of working with the union to study marijuana use as a pain management tool for players, reports the Washington Post.

According to the report, the union is conducting its own study and has not responded to the letter.

The NFL currently suspends players who test positive for the drug and modified the threshold for a positive test for marijuana.

A level of 35 nanograms per milliliter counts as a positive test, up from 15 nanograms before the change was instituted in 2014.

“We look forward to working with the Players Association on all issues involving the health and safety of our players,” said Joe Lockhart, the NFL’s executive vice president of communications.

Any change to the drug policy would likely have to be negotiated through the next collective bargaining agreement.

"I think it’s a debated question. Some people feel strongly we should address it now," Cowboys executive Stephen Jones said to the paper last week. "I think some people feel that we’re close enough that you should wait and take care of it in one fell swoop when you sit down and bargain with the union. There’s people who would love to have an extension. I think both sides would probably love to have it.