Breaking News: College Students Smoke Weed #NFL

In the last few years large portions of the country have suddenly become Amsterdam. Marijuana use for medicinal purposes is now considered a legitimate (and legal) treatment option for various ailments from cancer to gout. Gout? Ok, maybe not gout. And in November California voters will have the opportunity to decriminalize marijuana use for all of its citizens.

Of course Marijuana’s popularity among college kids has always been strong. The fact is that mainstream attitudes about the plant are changing. Somebody might want to tell all of this to NFL personnel guys who are freaking out that many of this year’s draft class are admitting to having smoked cheeba.

From SI.com:
But in addition to the vast potential of this year's draft class, numerous NFL personnel evaluators told SI.com they are concerned about the increased number of prospects who have a history of marijuana use in their background, with players often acknowledging a failed drug test for pot in college in interviews with team executives.

On the one hand, these guys have a difficult job. Transitioning from the college game to the NFL is a quantum leap for a player, and past drafts are littered with guys that simply couldn’t handle the transition. Not to mention that the amount of money guaranteed to first-round draft picks can severely hamper a franchise should that player not make a difference on the field. So it’s no wonder that the guys charged with grading a player’s draft worthiness tend to get a case of the yips when they hear a guy likes to spliff up. But it is college after all. It’s kind of a rite of passage to partake in a little bit of pakalolo. It’s hard to imagine anyone, especially football players, making it through four years of college without sampling some sticky icky.

Should it be an issue when grading a player’s draftability? Probably. Should it rank above a player’s time in the 40-yard-dash, vertical leap, bench press, GPA, Wonderlic score, DUIs and illegitimate children? Probably not.

For potential NFL players it’s probably not a great idea to test positive for Maui Wowie, but one wonders how NFL executives would judge players that tested positive for another mind-altering substance that has ruined millions of lives and thousands of NFL careers, like beer?

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