One of my favorite organizations is the Gridiron Cannabis Coalition. Members like former NFL player Kyle Turley are doing big things to push cannabis reform and change minds. Below is info about the organization’s most recent project. Brain injuries are a serious thing, and all the research that can be done to find out how cannabis can help those affected by brain injuries is very much worthwhile. Below is a press release I received talking about an exciting new project:
Constance Therapeutics, a whole plant cannabis extract producer, and Gridiron Cannabis Coalition (GCC), an organization dedicated to the advancement of medical cannabis, today announced a partnership to advance research into the benefits that whole plant cannabis extracts can offer athletes suffering from chronic pain, brain trauma and other sports-related injuries. Constance Therapeutics and GCC will conduct research that surpasses lesser CBD-only approaches and takes into account that tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is often needed for optimal therapeutic benefit, as illustrated by “The Entourage Effect.” This partnership was formed to drive a new generation of care for athletes – Care 2.0 – in which whole plant cannabis extracts are utilized as part of an integrative treatment option to traditional pharmaceutical medications, which have had adverse effects on many National Football League (NFL) players.
“My mission is to save lives and change minds,” said Boo Williams, a former National Football League tight end who played for five years with the New Orleans Saints and Kansas City Chiefs. “I have learned that cannabis is a science and a plant that helps people. My experience with cannabis has taught me that it is a far better option than the pills that get shoved at players. If I can save one life or improve one life with this study that GCC and Constance Therapeutics are doing, I will have accomplished my mission. The approach being taken by Constance Therapeutics is a different one than what most people associate with cannabis. This company uses science to create extracts that are useful for many conditions. The science behind the extracts and the promise they hold for conditions like pain management have intrigued me on many levels, and I am looking forward to seeing the outcomes from the research involving me and other former NFL players.”
Unlike hemp oils and extracts that only contain cannabidiol (CBD), Constance Therapeutics products are based on scientific research, specifically The Entourage Effect. The company only produces whole plant cannabis extracts that contain all of the naturally occurring compounds within cannabis, including THC and CBD, as well as other cannabinoids, terpenes and flavonoids. The Entourage Effect shows that whole plant cannabis extracts from the female cannabis plant (not hemp) are more effective than isolated compounds, such as CBD (S. Ben-Shabat, with Raphael Mechoulam, 1998). Further research suggests that THC and CBD interact synergistically and that the cannabis extracts have other constituents yet to be identified that can significantly modulate the ability of THC and CBD (Ryan, Drysdale, Pertwee and Platt, 2006). Finally, the synergistic relationship between these compounds has been found to be a potential treatment for pain, inflammation, depression, anxiety, addiction, epilepsy, cancer, fungal and bacterial infections (Russo, 2011).
“I was inspired to work with GCC because so many athletes have been failed by traditional medicine, just as I have,” said Constance Finley, founder and chief executive officer of Constance Therapeutics. “After cycling through several prescription drugs with the hope of finding relief from my rare autoimmune disease, I reluctantly tried medical cannabis. This ended up being the decision that would save my life, and it led me to develop my own cannabis extracts and form Constance Therapeutics. It is now my mission to help others seeking alternatives to what are often highly addictive pharmaceuticals.”
The federal government holds a Department of Health and Human Services patent for the medical use of cannabinoids (including THC) as antioxidants and neuro-protectants, despite stating that cannabis offers no medical benefit. Largely due to the federal government’s stance and the plant’s classification as a Schedule One drug (alongside heroin and LSD), the medical community has only begun to explore the benefits of cannabis. Although the plant’s full potential is yet to be understood, research has indicated it has tremendous potential in treating chronic pain, brain trauma (including chronic traumatic encephalopathy), epilepsy, autoimmune and nervous system diseases, Alzheimer’s, and cancer.
“GCC has partnered with Constance Therapeutics to produce evidence of cannabis’ efficacy and to drive the medical cannabis dialogue forward within sports organizations and beyond,” said Matthew Bucciero, founding partner of the Gridiron Cannabis Coalition. “We were drawn to Constance Therapeutics because of the company’s dedication to science and the extraordinary attention to quality, potency and consistency that goes into each and every batch. That same science-based approach will be applied to the research we pursue – research that will hopefully lead to greater access to medical cannabis for athletes so they are no longer limited to traditional pharmaceuticals, as active players and during retirement.”
About Constance Therapeutics
Constance Therapeutics is a vertically integrated medicinal cannabis company producing standardized and science-based whole plant cannabis extracts. The company has created a new category of whole plant cannabis extracts that provides additional treatment options and fills the gap between traditional pharmaceuticals and commonplace cannabis products. Constance Therapeutics’ extracts are produced from fully trimmed, female unfertilized cannabis sativa flowers of plants with known genetics using certified-organic, pharmaceutical-grade ethanol via a tightly-controlled, quantitatively-defined and patent-pending process that is based on scientific and engineering principles. Each lot of extracts is third party tested and routinely cross-tested in the industry’s most respected laboratories. Since 2008, the company has employed stringent, science-based processes and standards to ensure the highest quality and purity. Headquartered in Richmond, California, Constance Therapeutics’ cannabis extracts are available exclusively for therapeutic use and can only be purchased by registered California patients, in keeping with Proposition 215, and California Senate Bill 420. For further information, please visit: www.constancecbd.com.
About Gridiron Cannabis Coalition
Gridiron Cannabis Coalition is an organization dedicated to the advancement of medical cannabis treatment as an alternative to prescription medications. Created by current and former NFL players, cannabis industry experts and medical professionals, the Gridiron Cannabis Coalition mission is to establish a system whereby athletes have access to a natural treatment for neurological and physical ailments they suffer as a result of their careers.
