When Laremy Tunsil appeared smoking something — most people assumed it was marijuana — from a gas mask attached to a bong in a video released on the first night of the NFL Draft, he slid down the draft board.

At one point he’d been considered a possible No. 1 overall pick. In the end he was the third tackle taken, at No. 13 by the Miami Dolphins.

Even though marijuana has been legalized for recreational use in Colorado — home of the Denver Broncos — and for medicinal use in 24 other states, it clearly still carries with it a stigma for NFL decision makers.

Ebon Britton, who played six years on the offensive line for Jacksonville and Chicago, believes that should change.

“The health risks linked to pharmaceutical drugs are well documented and players should have the option to choose a natural alternative for pain management,” he said. “It’s time to consider cannabis a legitimate medicine and remove the negative stigma.”

Britton has written previously for The Cauldron about how he fought through the pain of an NFL season, and it included the use of many highly addictive prescription drugs.

Britton, who now works as a writer, sat down with Merry Jane to discuss his first time using cannabis.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SlWhsJSF5EU