The country’s view of and approach to marijuana use is changing rapidly.

The NFL’s is not. Roger Goodell remains steadfastly against it, telling ESPN’s Mike & Mike that the league’s medical advisors haven’t advised a change in approach (it’s against the rules in all cases).

Roger Goodell says on Mike & Mike that marijuana is addictive and unhealthy. He's not on board with letting NFL players use recreationally. — Michael David Smith (@MichaelDavSmith) April 28, 2017

We can try to fact check this, I guess, if you really think there’s anything new or interesting to be found. The addictiveness level of marijuana has long been debated. From the National Institute of Health:

Marijuana use can lead to the development of problem use, known as a marijuana use disorder, which takes the form of addiction in severe cases. Recent data suggest that 30 percent of those who use marijuana may have some degree of marijuana use disorder.

The article goes on to say about nine percent of users become addicted, a smaller percentage than for alcohol or cigarettes. So …

By this logic ban players from using cigarettes, cigars, booze, pills, and fast food! https://t.co/IUEYgVtbtH — Tom Crabtree (@itsCrab) April 28, 2017

The degree to which marijuana is “unhealthy” is, again, the subject of debate and study — without much resolution (this Slate primer is great if you want to dig in further). What we can generally agree on is that inhaling smoke into your lungs excessively is probably not great for your lungs, be it marijuana or tobacco. And repeatedly altering the way your brain functions — using alcohol, weed, or opioid — is risky.

Speaking of opioids:

Read this Goodell quote about marijuana, then read these excepts from @RickMaese story about painkiller abuse in the NFL. pic.twitter.com/Jez0vssudB — Kevin Van Valkenburg (@KVanValkenburg) April 28, 2017

The United States has an opioid problem. A dire one. Here’s a Pulitzer Prize-winning story about the flood of prescription pills into West Virginia, and what it did to the population there. There are dozens upon dozens of stories like this across the internet.

The NFL has an opioid problem. A dire one. This is from The New Yorker:

The lawsuit alleges that teams violated state and federal laws by transporting, handling, and distributing prescription painkillers, and that they created a culture in which doctors and staff members casually dispense controlled substances, overlooking their dangers in order to keep injured players on the field. According to the plaintiffs’ lawyers, the teams display a pattern of disregarding government regulations and normal medical practices, sometimes even after the violations have been pointed out. The class-action filing states that “every doctor deposed so far . . . has testified that they violated one or more” federal drug laws and regulations “while serving in their capacity as a team doctor.” (The N.F.L. issued a statement strongly denying the allegations in the lawsuit, calling them “simply wrong.”)

Goodell can continue to bury his head on this but the idea that NFL players are likely to be addicted to painkillers after their careers end is so cliche it serves as a plot point in HBO’s Ballers.

So why has the NFL taken such a stern approach to marijuana, which is now legal for recreational use in eight states and D.C.? And for medicinal use in 29 states?

It feels mostly like the stance of a scold, a man so concerned with protecting the shield that he cares more about the possibility of negative publicity (and about holding this over players) than he does the welfare of his players.

If Goodell does have evidence that the risks of allowing marijuana use outweigh the possible benefits, he should go ahead and share it for the scientific community to evaluate.

Otherwise, he could take the remarkably simple step of letting the law be the law. So if a player smokes where it’s legal, or has a doctor prescribe where it’s required, he’s fine. Then monitor those players for signs of abuse.