Concussions, Medical Marijuana, and the NFL

By John Miller and Patti Donahue   Every time a football player steps onto the field, he is at risk for traumatic brain injury (TBI), including concussion. The severity of TBI is affected by primary trauma to the brain and inflammation and swelling after initial trauma (Gessel, Fields, Collins, Dick, & Comstock, 2007). Inflammation causes significant damage in TBI (McCrea, Hammeke, Olsen, Leo, & Guskiewicz, 2003) and can lead to immune challenges and depressive complications years after the