Former Chiefs player hoping CBD will help athletes with CTE

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KMBC) -

Former NFL players continue to suffer from the effects of head injuries on the field. And now, a Chiefs Hall-of-Famer wants to do something about it.

Nick Lowery says he can no longer sit on the sidelines.

“This is not just about football,” said Lowery. “Head injuries are a life issue for all of us.”

Lowery, a former kicker for the Chiefs, has lost friends to CTE, Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, a disease caused by head injuries.

“This devastates not only the player, but his family,” said Lowery.

He joined the team at Kannalife Sciences, a Pennsylvania-based company developing Cannabidiol, or CBD products, to treat those suffering from CTE.

“We’re going to help, I think, reverse the opioid epidemic,” said Lowery, “And hopefully reverse the death sentence that NFL players have.”

CBD is extracted from the hemp plant – it’s not marijuana. It has no THC and cannot get you high.

Lowery is working with the Pennsylvania group, and is hoping players can be diagnosed with CTE before it’s too late.

“We want to end the era where these tragic stories and nightmares have been happening to some of the best people you’ve ever met,” he said.

For more information on CBD, visit Echo Connection.

We also reached out to the FDA for comment, and were sent the following information, FDA and Marijuana: Questions and Answers.