Eugene Monroe entered the NFL in 2009 as a first round draft pick and played for seven seasons before retiring at age 29 with his body aching from injuries, including head trauma. Before announcing his retirement from the Baltimore Ravens in 2016, Monroe openly challenged the NFL to remove cannabis from its list of banned substances and advocated for the use of cannabinoids to treat chronic pain and sports-related injuries.
Now 34, Monroe is still very much a presence in the advocacy of using CBD and cannabis to help athletes recover from injuries and manage pain.
Monroe has a well-qualified ally in Dr. Jeff Konin, Ph.D., who is advising athletic organizations to embrace cannabis and CBD as natural therapeutic supplements like vitamins.
Dr. Konin is the Clinical Professor and the Director of the Doctor of Athletic Training Degree at Florida International University (FIU) in Miami. He leads a team of FIU faculty, staff and students on cannabis research and educational initiatives. He’s also the Founder and President of PHD420, Inc, a nonprofit that focuses on cannabis research and education to healthcare providers around the world as well as clinical experience with sporting events and is a Hall of Fame inductee in the National Athletic Trainers’ Association.
Both Dr. Konin and Monroe agree that the cannabis plant has nutritional and recuperative effects, a position Joline Rivera has much familiarity with. She’s the founder of Kitchen Toke, a print and digital medium that reports on culinary cannabis for health and wellness, and Red Belly Honey, which is infused with CBD made from hemp by honeybees.
Visit https://bit.ly/cannabisandsports to watch MMERI’s Conversations on Cannabis Virtual Forum featuring former NFL player Eugene Monroe, nationally recognized athletic trainer and cannabis consultant, Jeff Konin, Ph.D., and culinary cannabis expert Joline Rivera on YouTube.
For more information on medical marijuana and to sign up for the MMERI newsletter, go to http://mmeri.famu.edu.
