Katelyn Baker
Well-Known Member
The only thing weirder than men in suits selling weed soda at a pot conference is NFL players mingling among them.
Such was the scene at the Cannabis World Congress this week in New York City, where more than 75 businesses, non-profits, and drug policy activists gathered to stake their claim in the future of pot. The third conference of its kind, the event was equal parts serious and silly-like an indoor church festival planned by rich stoners.
There were hipsters with cannabis-infused juice, a Canadian pushing hemp dog treats, and a hippie spraying liquid THC from a pink bottle. There were men in white lab coats, a poodle named Tobias, and a man in a jumpsuit with a bunny called "Potter." In side rooms, leaders hosted seminars with titles like "From Goldfish to Blackfish: How Entrepreneurs Thrive in a Sea of Competition."
But among all the businessmen, policy wonks, doctors, and volunteers it was the colossal men in button-downs who stole the show-former NFL and NHL players coming to share their cannabis stories. Unlike earlier seminars, where less than a dozen participants gathered in large rooms, the sports panel the players hosted was packed to the gills.
Cameramen crowded in the back, fans took seats in the front, reporters sat scribbling notes.
The subject of the talk: chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a deterioration of the brain caused by repeated trauma to the head. Captured in a documentary by Frontline and a movie starring Will Smith called Concussion, the degenerative disease was initially thought to be a boxing injury only.
But after studying the brain of former Pittsburgh Steeler's center Mike Webster, Bennett Omalu penned a groundbreaking study revealing that football players-who endure years of head trauma-are at risk too. Among the disease's side effects: memory loss, aggression, severe depression, anxiety, suicidal thoughts, and progressive dementia.
In September, researchers from Boston University and the Department of Veterans Affairs released a report announcing that 96 percent of the brains of deceased pro-football players they studied have shown signs of CTE. Leonard Marshall, a former lineman for the New York Giants who opened the panel, says he's suffered symptoms of CTE himself.
The winner of two Super Bowls explained how the use of cannabis has helped him overcome some of the symptoms associated with the disease-and argued that ganjapreneurs should take note.
News Moderator: Katelyn Baker 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Football Stars - Weed Helped Our Brain Injuries
Author: Abby Haglage
Contact: The Daily Beast
Photo Credit: Craig F. Walker
Website: The Daily Beast
Such was the scene at the Cannabis World Congress this week in New York City, where more than 75 businesses, non-profits, and drug policy activists gathered to stake their claim in the future of pot. The third conference of its kind, the event was equal parts serious and silly-like an indoor church festival planned by rich stoners.
There were hipsters with cannabis-infused juice, a Canadian pushing hemp dog treats, and a hippie spraying liquid THC from a pink bottle. There were men in white lab coats, a poodle named Tobias, and a man in a jumpsuit with a bunny called "Potter." In side rooms, leaders hosted seminars with titles like "From Goldfish to Blackfish: How Entrepreneurs Thrive in a Sea of Competition."
But among all the businessmen, policy wonks, doctors, and volunteers it was the colossal men in button-downs who stole the show-former NFL and NHL players coming to share their cannabis stories. Unlike earlier seminars, where less than a dozen participants gathered in large rooms, the sports panel the players hosted was packed to the gills.
Cameramen crowded in the back, fans took seats in the front, reporters sat scribbling notes.
The subject of the talk: chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a deterioration of the brain caused by repeated trauma to the head. Captured in a documentary by Frontline and a movie starring Will Smith called Concussion, the degenerative disease was initially thought to be a boxing injury only.
But after studying the brain of former Pittsburgh Steeler's center Mike Webster, Bennett Omalu penned a groundbreaking study revealing that football players-who endure years of head trauma-are at risk too. Among the disease's side effects: memory loss, aggression, severe depression, anxiety, suicidal thoughts, and progressive dementia.
In September, researchers from Boston University and the Department of Veterans Affairs released a report announcing that 96 percent of the brains of deceased pro-football players they studied have shown signs of CTE. Leonard Marshall, a former lineman for the New York Giants who opened the panel, says he's suffered symptoms of CTE himself.
The winner of two Super Bowls explained how the use of cannabis has helped him overcome some of the symptoms associated with the disease-and argued that ganjapreneurs should take note.
News Moderator: Katelyn Baker 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Football Stars - Weed Helped Our Brain Injuries
Author: Abby Haglage
Contact: The Daily Beast
Photo Credit: Craig F. Walker
Website: The Daily Beast
