CBD for Football Players: Salvation for Players' CTE Brains

05/28/2018 9 min read

CBD as a Savior for American Football Players' Brains (CTE)

Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) is a brain condition very commonly found in American football players.

Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) is a brain disease that occurs very frequently in American football players
CTE is most often observed in athletes and individuals who have suffered repeated and severe concussions

CW Hemp (formerly CW Botanicals) is a well-known hemp company that offers, among other things, the famous CBD strain - Charlotte's Web. This strain saved the life of the now famous little girl Charlotte, who suffered from a difficult-to-treat form of childhood epilepsy. CW Hemp focuses on producing the highest quality hemp extracts of the purest grade, stocking and providing effective hemp medicine for those in need.

It all began with the aforementioned Charlotte's Web, which about 3 years ago was literally in all newspaper headlines and hemp magazines. Now, however, the company has decided to focus on a completely new, but no less treatment-needing group - former professional American football players suffering from chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE for short.

Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (Science and Politics)

As described by Boston University and the CTE Center, "CTE is a progressive, degenerative brain disease that frequently occurs in athletes (and other groups of people) who have suffered repeated brain injuries of various kinds, such as severe concussions or asymptomatic cases of frequent head impacts..."

"...the disease most often manifests through gradual memory loss, confusion, impaired judgment, problems with self-control and impulsivity, aggression, depression, and eventually progressive dementia."

American football is, of course, an activity in which concussions and repeated head impacts are almost an everyday occurrence. Recently, the discussion about the actual danger of this sport and the associated occurrence of CTE and dementia among former players has been growing. This issue was recently highlighted further by the film Concussion, which tells the story of Dr. Bennett Omalu. He was the first to discover the link between American football and CTE in 2002.

"The same topic was also brought to the surface by a documentary from 2013, which, in addition to CTE, also deals with how much professional football organizations tried to sweep this problem under the rug."

In parallel with the awareness of this serious threat, studies were published confirming the very promising positive effects of cannabinoids on the brain and the potential therapeutic effects of CBD in reversing brain injuries. With these findings, naturally, the wave of resistance among former and active football players also grew, who were outraged by the fact that medical cannabis is still considered illegal doping by the sports commission.

CBD as a Medicine for Brain Injuries and CTE

"Today we are very aware of the symptoms of CTE - these include memory loss, depression, and increased aggression. CBD can positively activate the parts of the endocannabinoid system that are responsible for regulating these mechanisms of the human body," explains Ryan Kingsbury, strategic manager at CW Hemp. "Based on current scientific evidence, it is possible that CBD could heal CTE in the brain or at least slow its development."

In an effort to gather more evidence, CW Hemp has joined forces with Realm of Caring, a Colorado non-profit organization focused on advancing research in the field of cannabinoids and CBD.

"When we look at the currently available evidence for the neuroprotective properties of CBD, it is clear to us that the potential consequences of its use for all those exposed to frequent head impacts are very exciting and promising. Especially for American football players," describes CEO Heather Jackson her point of view. "Specific research on CTE is not yet advanced enough. But that is exactly what we want to change and move the matter forward as quickly as possible."

In the coming months, the company plans to start a collaboration with the now legendary Johns Hopkins University and begin the largest clinical study to date on the potential therapeutic and neuroprotective properties of CBD. The focus should be particularly on professional American football players.

"The fact that CBD can activate and modulate receptors is now generally accepted and confirmed," Jackson continues. "More specifically, it is important to us that CBD affects, among other things, the 5-HT1A receptor. This is a receptor that activates the body's opiate centers, enriches adenosine, and current research shows that it supports blood flow. As for professional American football players, there is above all a need for systemic change. For football players to use CBD in greater numbers, it must first be removed from the list of doping substances."

Changing the Face of Medical Hemp in Sports

Players are warned in advance of the doping test, which allows them to stop medical hemp in time. The advance warning simultaneously indicates that football organizations are aware of cannabis use among players and want to avoid massive suspensions and league exclusions. "Absolutely absurd is the fact that cannabis use is punished more severely than domestic violence.

As for professional football organizations, they have always tried to maintain their image in the public eye. However, their leadership consists largely of older men who have a rather old-fashioned worldview," describes professional player Nate Jackson the current situation in an interview with the New York Times.

"I am really curious how the league leadership will react when we present them with the results of the planned study and show the positive effects of CBD and hemp overall. If we also compare the results with the currently used pharmaceutical opioids, they will probably shake their heads."

Among the other activist organizations is also the Gridiron Cannabis Coalition (GCC), whose mission is to push for medical hemp instead of the currently used medications, which, in addition to their overall unhealthy effect on the human body, also cause enormous addiction. At the same time, the number of active and former players who are beginning to speak openly about their own use of hemp and CBD extracts is growing.

"Since I have been taking CBD regularly, I no longer experience those crazy, all-day headaches and general slowness. Sometimes I could barely move and my joints hurt terribly. Fortunately, that is in the past. When I look at it that way, it seems to me as if I have stopped aging since I started taking CBD."

Medical Hemp in Sports - Possibly Mandatory in the Future

The executive director of Realm of Caring, Heather Jackson, firmly believes in the future potential and role of therapeutic CBD in American football and extreme sports in general. "Professional football organizations have already confirmed their interest and will closely monitor the situation," says Heather with hope in her voice. "Now we must continue to present them with results of high-quality studies and gradually convince them definitively.

"We are changing the face of medical hemp here, or rather finally removing the unnecessary mask of the bogeyman and showing the true face of this plant."

Plummer adds: "CBD is a potential answer to the so dangerous brain diseases that arise from repeated trauma in American football. If football organizations truly care about the health of their players, as they claim, then they will simply have to accept the results of our studies and allow CBD."