BOSTON — Former NFL player Brandon Lloyd describes using high concentration THC cannabis to cope with personal and professional stress, experiencing health effects, and finally breaking free of the substance in an interview for The Tea on THC, an education campaign created by Initium Health for the Colorado School of Public Health.
The campaign helps Coloradans understand how cannabis products are delivering more and more THC, and to inform the legislature in deciding whether new regulations are needed.
Lloyd recalls “dabbling” with marijuana in high school and setting it aside. It crept back into his life in college, when he’d indulge a bit after the season. But when he got to the NFL, which he says has weaker testing than college programs, “cannabis was everywhere.”
“I just want to finish this day so I can get home and get high,” Lloyd remembers thinking.
Lloyd played for seven teams, including the Patriots, over 11 years. The Broncos brought Lloyd to Denver in 2009, just as Colorado was embracing legal weed. He didn’t get the playing time he’d hoped for, his marriage was failing, and his response, more than ever, was to join teammates in using cannabis.
“We would smoke three and four different high concentration cannabises in one sitting. I recognized I had a problem, but it took time to get from there to making genuine lifestyle changes.” First, he convinced himself cannabis was good for him and he should keep using it after retiring.
“Boy, was I wrong,” he said. “All those tropes about marijuana not being addictive were just so false.”
“Brandon’s strength is remarkable, but not everybody bounces back this successfully, and we also found some heartbreaking tales of cannabis use disorder while researching this campaign,” said James Corbett, MDiv, JD, an Initium Health principal.
About Initium Health
Initium Health is a marketing and consulting firm specializing in health strategies, gap analyses, program feasibility studies and community health assessments. With a commitment to innovation and public health improvement, Initium Health supports a wide range of clients including local governments, educational institutions and health systems.
