A team of researchers from the University of Regina has been awarded money from the National Football League to study the effects of cannabinoids on pain management and protection for concussions in elite football players.

Dr. Patrick Neary is a professor at the kinesiology and health studies department at the University of Regina. He and his team received $537,00 from the NFL and $400,000 from My Next Health Inc.

“I am very humbled by this whole opportunity. It’s going to be an extraordinary experience for myself and our research team.”

The research project aims to determine whether cannabis and hemp-based cannabinoids can be used safely and effectively for pain management and reduce prescription medications, including opioids, in post-concussion syndrome athletes.

“We want to take former, and even some current football, hockey, players, people who are having chronic pain and we want to put them on specific formulation, CBD, THC, to see whether or not we can actually get them off of prescription medications, and in particular opioids.”

Another goal is to assess the neuroprotective properties of cannabinoids to reduce the incidence or severity of acute and chronic concussion in professional football players.

The funding is a part of $1 million in research funding handed out to the U of R and medical researchers at the University of California San Diego.