Tackling the NFL's Hypocritical Marijuana Policy

For years, the National Football League has been punishing athletes for using marijuana despite the fact that it is far less harmful than alcohol, a substance widely embraced by the league. Now that the U.S. Justice Department has announced it will allow states to legalize marijuana, the NFL needs to recognize and respect those laws, too.

Please sign MPP’s petition to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell calling on the league to stop punishing players for using marijuana.

To draw attention to this important petition, MPP is unveiling a giant billboard across the street from Mile High Stadium in Denver, where the NFL’s first regular season game of the year will be taking place tomorrow. The Denver Broncos-themed ad reads, “Stop driving players to drink! A safer choice is now legal (here),” referencing the Colorado legalization law MPP helped pass in November.

The NFL would never punish a player simply for having a beer or cocktail, so why does it levy severe penalties against them for using a substance that is less toxic, less addictive, and less likely to contribute to violence? The NFL's harsh marijuana penalties do nothing to promote the health and safety of the players. If anything, they put them in danger by steering them toward using alcohol and away from making the safer choice to use marijuana instead.

Help us change the way our society views and treats marijuana by signing our petition to the NFL today. Tell the league to stop driving players to drink with severe penalties for using marijuana, especially in states where marijuana has been made legal for adult or medical use.