Is Cannabis Performance Enhancing?

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Introduction

With the 2024 summer Olympics kicking off this past week, it seems only fitting that today’s conversation revolves around cannabis and physical activity. It’s not surprising to me that even in today’s day and age, where cannabis is legalized and decriminalized in so many parts of the world, it remains on the World Anti-Doping Agency’s list of prohibited substances for athletes & support personnel. What I find actually shocking though, is the fact that caffeine ISN’T on there considering the fact that it is also a stimulant that provides some cognitive relief/effect/feeling when consumed.

In today’s discussion I’ll share my experience using cannabis during physical activity and some background about the plant. Then we’ll get into what the studies are saying about cannabis and physical activity including performance, recovery and even legal & ethical considerations.

My Experience with Cannabis & Physical Activity

If you know me, you know I love to get my physical activity in each day whether it be working out at the gym, going for walks or taking a workout class. It helps my brain and my mental wellbeing, not to mention keeps my body strong. I love to do things like weight training and hot yoga, and most mornings you’ll see me out there power walking for half an hour to start my day, but I don’t tend to consume before I workout. I find that the plant works better for me when I consume it or use it topically after a workout as a way to calm down and recover from the physical activity.

Although, one of the first times I ran a 5K, I decided to take a low dose gummy (5mg) beforehand and found that the run (which is something I don’t typically enjoy) felt like a breeze! So really, it just depends on my headspace and whether or not I think it might improve my physical performance, but generally its part of my sports recovery practice.

Understanding Cannabis

You likely have used cannabis before, or at the very least know what it is, but have you ever wondered why the experience can be psychoactive and what cannabis is actually made of? The answer is simple, but also complex. It all comes down to the Cannabinoids within the plant and how they interact with each person. Cannabinoids are compounds found in the marijuana plant- at least 113 have been isolated or discovered.

The two significant compounds which are generally present in almost any hemp extract are THC and CBD. If you’d like a more in-depth explanation of the cannabinoids found in the plant and how each interaction creates a different experience, I have a whole blog post dedicated to just that which you can find here.

In the context of sports, people often tend to use cannabis before or after exercise/training. This is typically done by inhalation, ingestion or it’s applied topically. The American Orthopaedic Society for sports medicine came out with a review recently that looked at 37 studies of elite and university athletes. The results from this review showed that 1 in 4 athletes reported using cannabis in the past year.

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Performance and Recovery - What the Science Says

Performance

Findings about whether or not cannabis hinders or helps with sports performance is on all sides of the spectrum. Some studies and papers indicate that the plant might hinder performance as it may impact cognitive-motor skills and mechanisms that modulate coordinated movement. Using cannabis can also increase your heart rate and blood pressure, and there are studies that suggest that smoking cannabis can have a negative impact on the cardiovascular system. This is linked to an increased risk of heart disease and attack.

There was also a 2022 study that looked at lung function and found that cannabis use, specifically smoking cannabis, is associated with higher lung volumes, suggesting hyperinflation. This first evidence demonstrated that lifetime cannabis use may be associated with impairment of gas transfer which is essentially a measure of how your lungs take in oxygen from the air you breathe. I will say though, that many of these studies conflicted with tobacco users, are only based on combustion. There is minimal research that can be found based on other methods of cannabis consumption such as edibles, oils and topicals.

Some of the literature and science I found about this topic ended up being neutral which I found interesting. There was a 2020 review of literature I read concerning the effects of cannabis consumption on sports performance outcomes, e.g. VO2Max (maximal oxygen uptake), PWC (physical work capacity). It suggested that the strongest predictors of athletic performance (VO2Max and PWC) were not found to be significantly different between people who used and didn’t use cannabis. Chronic cannabis consumption also had no significant effect on athletic performance.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, there was a UK study done recently on professional rugby players from 30 different teams, using 13 different CBD brands- all of which were capsules or oils with varying doses. 339 players (of the 472 total) had never used cannabis before due to various reasons including concern about anti-doping legislation and not needing a reason to. The remaining players had used cannabis before for things like pain management and anxiety relief.

Despite the disparity in dose taken, many of the players currently or previously taking CBD (n = 133) anecdotally perceived a benefit (67%), including improved sleep (41%), recovery/pain (14%), mood (6%), anxiety (3%), and other various medical purposes (8%: concussion, chemotherapy, and long-term injury). No player reported any perceived adverse effects.

Recovery

There are a few reasons why athletes may opt for the plant for sports performance and recovery…

• Pain management
• Anxiety reduction
• Sleep assistance

A study done on CBD by a Pharmacological Research Journal found that CBD could be useful for managing anxiety, fear memory process, sleep and sleepiness in athletes. It also found that Athletes could benefit from CBD to manage pain, inflammation and the swelling process associated with injury.

In addition to this journal, another paper I read from the Behavioural Neuroscience program at Western Washington University found that THC and CBD have neuroprotective effects and are potent antioxidants that protect neurons. In this context, CBD and THC could be useful for athletes or others suffering from traumatic brain injury (TBI).

CBD specifically is known to have helpful effects on those with injuries, chronic pain, mental health disorders and more. It only makes sense that high level athletes or anybody doing any sort of physical activity may turn to it as a way to aid in recovery.

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Cannabis and Sports in the Media & Regulations

The discourse in the media and international regulations surrounding cannabis and sports tends to be a hot topic - especially as more athletes come forward announcing their cannabis use or being caught for it. In the summer of 2023, the NBA and its players union, signed a collective bargaining agreement that removed cannabis from their league’s list of banned substances. They also laid out rules allowing players to invest in and promote cannabis companies but keep in mind this entire document is 600+ pages.

Players will also be allowed to “hold a direct or indirect ownership interest (whether controlling or non-controlling) in an entity that produces or sells CBD Products,” which is defined as cannabis containing up to 0.3 percent THC by dry weight, consistent with the federal definition of legal hemp.

It also puts cannabis use by players on par with that of alcohol, saying that if an NBA team has “reasonable cause to believe that the player was under the influence of marijuana and/or alcohol while engaged in activities for such Team or for the NBA, or that the player has a dependency or other related issue involving the use of marijuana and/or alcohol, the Team may refer the player to the Medical Director for a mandatory evaluation.”

The NCAA also recently voted to remove cannabis from its banned substance list and increase the allowable THC threshold for athletes. “The NCAA drug testing program is intended to focus on integrity of competition, and cannabis products do not provide a competitive advantage,” Josh Whitman, chair of the council, recently said in a press release.

If you remember a few years ago near the last summer Olympics, there was a big controversy surrounding Sha’Carri Richardson as she tested positive for 11-nor-9-carboxy-tetrahydrocannabinol (Carboxy-THC), a urinary metabolite of Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). She defended herself as did many others, claiming that she was using cannabis to cope with the recent death of her mother.

Richardson ended up having to accept a one-month suspension because her use of cannabis occurred out of competition and was unrelated to sport performance, and because she successfully completed a counseling program regarding her use of the plant. Because of this suspension, she missed the Tokyo Olympics. Don’t worry though, she qualified for this year’s Olympics and will be making her Olympic debut Friday, August 2 2024 in the women’s 100m qualifying round.

What do the Athletes Have to Say About Cannabis in Sports & Physical Performance?

Whether or not they actually come out and talk about it, I’m positive that way more athletes than you think consume cannabis. In the past few years as legislation has loosened up a little, more and more athletes are coming forward and talking about their cannabis use.

Many retired NFL players like Calvin Johnson have started their own cannabis companies, and lots of others have sought out its benefits, especially as an alternative to addictive opioids. Even current athletes like Connor Macgregor certainly don’t hide their cannabis use. I saw one of his Instagram stories after his loss to Dustin Poirier and it was himself smoking what I think was a blunt!

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The Future of Cannabis in Sports & Physical Performance

I think there are so many factors to consider about using cannabis for physical performance and a lot of the minimal research there is, misses the nuance in the importance of dosage, formulation and method of consumption. Not only that, but what if cannabis is used to support one’s mental health? What’s the fine line between physical and mental health if there even is one?

What’s funny to me is that the plant is so stigmatized for making people lazy and sluggish but when it comes to sports, people are worried that it might be performance enhancing and could give someone an unfair advantage. The truth of the matter is that cannabis consumption is so personalized and individualistic, it’s so hard to predict how it would affect a large group of people and then make rules and guidelines based off of that.

In my opinion, Cannabis isn’t performance enhancing, but it’s more so performance supporting. Just like how a healthy diet, consistent exercise, good sleep, and good mental health are all “supporting” one’s performance, whether it’s in sport or just regular life. There’s simply not enough research and evidence to prove that it actually is performance enhancing but the evidence it’s there for performance recovery.

All things considered it certainly is relieving to see that legislation is slowly starting to loosen up as the plant is more and more destigmatized. I hope that in the coming years, with more conversation about using the plant mindfully, athletes and sports organizations can find a common ground, and a balance towards cannabis use.

Do you find that cannabis improves your physical performance or recovery? Send me your thoughts and stories and if you want an even more in depth discussion about today’s topic, be sure to listen to my podcast episode anywhere you stream your podcasts or check out my Youtube video!