As the number of states legalizing medical and adult-use cannabis increases, the number of athletes living, training and competing in states with legal cannabis is rapidly increasing. What does this mean?
I remember in 1998, when a snowboarder (Rebagliati) won the Olympic gold medal, then was disqualified for testing positive for THC, then they gave the medal back because THC wasn’t actually a banned substance. I recall being rather confused by the turn of events because it wasn’t clear if the message was that marijuana was a performance enhancing drug, or a dangerous drug, or benign.
Unfortunately, there is still a fair amount of confusion in sports when it comes to marijuana, but arguably a trend is forming. From CBD creams intended for sore muscles, to micro-dosing to take the edge off pain, to high-dose edibles for multi-hour runs, cannabis is increasingly being used in conjunction with athletic activities.
Not surprisingly, cannabis has found its way into yoga studios across the country. Yoga, perhaps, straddles the boundaries of wellness practice and exercise, without reaching into the competitive space, so it makes sense that cannabis would find acceptance.
Cannabis has long been played a role in a range of mountain and adventure sports: skiing and snowboarding, climbing, mountain biking, and endurance running. In recent years, some ultra-marathoners have become (quietly) outspoken regarding their cannabis use while running, claiming benefits of pain reduction, increased focus and concentration, and reduced nausea. And don’t forget that it’s just plain fun to get high when you’re playing in the mountains.
Increasingly, mainstream pro athletes have publicly come out in favor of cannabis use, in forums ranging from the NFL, NBA, Olympics, mixed martial arts, cycling, swimming, and ice hockey. Many of these athletes have advocated for cannabis as a safer alternative to opioids and ibuprofen for treating pain, and as an effective element of their training and recovery regimen, addressing sleep quality, caloric consumption, and mental focus. However, many of these athletes have only been able to speak up after retiring, due to the punitive and prohibitionist policies of their sports’ governing bodies.
Various professional sports organizations have slowly relaxed their rules regarding cannabis as legalization has spread, but many leagues and organizations still include delta 9-THC within the list of prohibited substances of abuse. We now see stances range from outright prohibition (like the NFL), to a flexible harm-reduction focus (like the NHL). The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) prohibits cannabinoids “in competition”, but exempts CBD. And, of course, the rise of CBD as a perceived cure-all has led to widespread use of CBD products by athletes across the board.
Cannabis companies are not waiting around for the conservative rule-makers to change their ways. Many companies are sponsoring athletes in martial arts, trail running, snow sports and more.
Of interest to this blog is the myriad ways cannabis in sports highlights the complex and multifaceted role that cannabis use plays: recreation, medication, pain relief, performance enhancement… Cannabis does not fit neatly into any single category and we expect that the lines will only continue to blur as new cannabis products are designed and refined, as more states legalize with new regulatory schemes, as the FDA wades into the regulation of CBD, as other cannabinoids gain prominence (we’re looking at you CBG, CBN and THCV) and as governing organizations reconcile with the reality of athletes consuming cannabis.