What is Ayahuasca? Can you face action from NFL for its use?

A couple of weeks ago, very few people knew what ayahuasca was. Now, it has become one of the most popular subjects in the NFL community. This is all thanks to Aaron Rodgers. A few weeks ago, he appeared on Aubrey Marcus' popular podcast. The conversation went in an unexpected direction.

Rodgers discussed his use of psychedelics during a trip to South America a few years ago. The Green Bay Packers quarterback placed a particular focus on one specific herbal narcotic called ayahuasca. Rodgers said:

"To me, one of the core tenets of your mental health is self-love. That’s what ayahuasca did for me, was help me see how to unconditionally love myself. It’s only in that unconditional self-love that then I’m able to truly, unconditionally love others. And what better way to work on my mental health than to have an experience like that?”

The response from most in the NFL was, what on earth is ayahuasca? A natural narcotic and potent hallucinogenic, ayahuasca is a tropical vine usually found in the Amazon region of South America. It is popular within certain indigenous tribes, and it is usually added to tea for spiritual and ceremonial occasions.

However, over the last decade, it has become increasingly popular in Western culture, thanks in part to high-profile celebrities like Rodgers. His admission about his ayahuasca use has caused a storm of controversy across the league.

Rodgers credits the tropical vine for his upturn in form and the back-to-back MVP seasons that followed. There has been anger from some quarters, with certain analysts arguing that the quarterback gained a competitive advantage and should face a suspension.

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Could the use of ayahuasca lead to a suspension?

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell Press Conference

So would Rodgers or anyone else caught using the herbal narcotic face a suspension from the league? In short, no, as it is not on the NFL's prohibited substance list. The list, which contains 191 different drugs, was approved as part of the Collective Bargaining Agreement and is set in stone.

With the mounting furore, the NFL moved quickly to shoot down any suggestion that Rodgers had gotten away with doping. NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy confirmed that the league does not test for ayahuasca because it is not on the prohibited substance list.

While it does not appear on the NFL substance list, it remains illegal to use in the United States, unless it is for religious reasons. Luckily for the Packers quarterback, he was in Latin America at the time, where there were no such restrictions.

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If you use any of the above quotes, please credit The Aubrey Marcus Podcast and H/T Sportskeeda.