National Football League

Pot group goes after NFL drug policy

Published Sep. 4, 2013 1:00 a.m. ET

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Some Colorado marijuana supporters are using football as a reminder about alternative medicine.

“Stop driving players to drink!” a billboard reads. “A safer choice is now legal (here).”

The billboard is sponsored by MarijuanaPolicy.org — a website dedicated to marijuana legalization. Colorado and Washington voted to legalize marijuana in the 2012 election, and numerous other states have decriminalized the herb.

A big part of the movement is the sentiment that, if people are going to get their buzz one way or another, they should be encouraged to choose something that is supposedly less destructive than alcohol.

Nothing goes together quite like booze and football, and so here you go: A sign, next to a football stadium, marketing marijuana as an alternative to liquor.

You’ve just got to convince Roger Goodell.

The organization is trying to do that by going after the NFL’s drug policy.

”For years, the NFL has been punishing players despite the fact that it is far less harmful than alcohol,” reads a Marijuana Policy Project press release. ”The league would never punish a player simply for having a couple of beers, so why does it penalize him for using a substance that is less toxic, less addictive, and less likely to contribute to violence.”

Marijuana Policy Project calls out Goodell directly.

”We hope commissioner Goodell will explain why they NFL is willing to promote the use of alcohol among its players and fans, but unwilling to recognize a safer alternative is now legal.”

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