More than two dozen former NFL players will take part in a new study of whether whole-plant cannabis is more effective than isolated compounds in treating and managing their pain, The Denver Post reported.

The study, led by Dutch researcher Dr. Arno Hazekamp in conjunction with cannabis-extract producer Constance Therapeutics and the Gridiron Cannabis Coalition, will be conducted in California, where marijuana is legal for medical use and soon could be for recreational purposes, too.

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Former NFL punter Chris Kluwe, who used marijuana while playing and continues to today for pain relief related to four knee surgeries and years of football wear and tear, is among some 30 former players who have volunteered for the new study.

He told The Post that the California study raises awareness of alternatives to opioids for treating current and former players' pain, but also could prompt the league and NFLPA to revise its substance-abuse policy.

“The way the NFL has it now is really not a bad system, because what it does is it touches guys who really do have a problem and probably should get some sort of counseling,” Kluwe said. “What I’d like to see them do is be much more lenient in terms of the penalties that are assessed on guys.

"So instead of having someone like Josh Gordon — who gets suspended for an entire year — go, ‘OK, we’re going make resources available to you,’ but also look at it like maybe this guy really does need this to help him play this game. ‘How can we make it so that he’s still active and functional in his everyday life and able to play in the NFL as well?’”

Two other cannabis-related studies have drawn support from current and former NFL players as cannabidiol (CBD) research has gathered relative momentum in recent months.

The intent of all the studies — ascertaining the therapeutic effects of cannabis and extracts like CBD — are similar, but come with a key distinction: Unlike marijuana, CBD extracted from hemp has only traces of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the compound in marijuana that gets users high.

CBD's advocates, including former Broncos quarterback Jake Plummer, say NFL players couldn't consume enough CBD to trigger a positive test for THC under the league's substance-abuse policy yet they still would reap the pain-management benefits.

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Whole-plant cannabis, on the other hand, would appear to pose a greater risk because of its THC levels, though medicinal marijuana is legal in 25 states and the District of Columbia.

The challenge in any revision of the NFL's drug policy, Kluwe noted, hinges on the fact that marijuana is illegal on a federal level.

“Until marijuana is legal on the federal level, then the NFL just isn’t going to touch it because then you run into trafficking issues,” Kluwe said. “I can understand why the NFL isn’t really looking to get involved in this right now in terms of on an institutional level, but I think that they should be looking to set pieces in place so once it does become legal, they’re ready to move to add it to their toolkit, just like anything else in the training room.”