Sports in the Age of Cannabis (Blog 5)

We, as a nation, are changing the way we feel about cannabis.

Gone are the days of Reefer Madness, the hysteria of the War on Drugs. As more and more states decriminalize and legalize cannabis, we are seeing a new American attitude that views it as much a business opportunity as something to be feared or banned.

These attitudes are making their way into the sporting world as well. Some professional leagues still test for weed, though how eager they are to actually bust athletes is a matter of debate. And athletes are now seriously turning toward cannabis as a pain-management solution — as we learn more about the dangers of opioid abuse, weed appears more and more like a safer option.

While the changing stigmas around cannabis present exciting opportunities for some, it’s not all that simple. We still live in a country where people, too often people of color, are being arrested for selling and using a product that is already making entrepreneurs, in the sporting world and outside of it, tons of money.

This is sports in the age of cannabis.

“… For people to kind of accept the healing properties of cannabis, I really felt like athletes are going to be the key to remove the stigma that’s been there.” —Ryan Kingsbury, founder of Athletes For Care

Former NFL players suffer opioid addiction at four times the rate of the general population.

“At the foundation of what I’m talking about is player health and safety. If you want to get distracted by the stigma or what not, well that’s on you.” —Titans linebacker Derrick Morgan

“We need to get to medicating with bio-based medicine, which is plant-based medicine, because we cannot continue down this path that we’re going with the opiates and benzodiazepines, or else we’re going to lose a generation.” —Former Jets DE Marvin Washington

Cannabis as the new sports medicine (Blog 4)

The dawn of cannabis as the new sports medicine has provided an alternative to athletes at every level of competition—and, as it turns out, for many athletes, weed and fitness go hand in hand.

Any athlete or person with an active lifestyle may benefit from this type of treatment alternatives. Regardless of the type of activity, cannabis can help athletes and active people (weekend warriors, bicyclists, avid hikers, yoga enthusiasts) protect against and recover from a variety of injuries.

The frequency with which professional athletes are prescribed opioid-based medications and the increasing concern of opioid-related overdoses and deaths among athletes (and people in general) paired with cannabis’ ability to relieve pain and lessen anxiety have led the commissioners of some of the most notable professional sports leagues to seriously consider turning to cannabis for the long-term well-being of their players.

Injuries that can be treated with cannabis range from minor to serious, depending on the activity and athlete, but the most common include:

• Swollen/sore muscles
• Fractures
• Dislocated joints
• Headaches
• Anxiety
• Repetitive head trauma

Cannabis contains compounds called “phytocannabinoids” that are very similar to compounds the human body produces, called “endocannabinoids.” The cannabis cannabinoids interact with receptors in our bodies to help establish and maintain homeostasis, or balance. These same receptors, when stimulated by the cannabinoids found in the cannabis plant, can help alleviate a myriad of injuries and ailments. The most common medicinal benefits of cannabis include:

• Reduced inflammation
• Pain relief
• Brain trauma/neuroprotection
• Wound and bone healing
• Anxiety reduction

There are a number of products that utilize both THC and CBD in various forms and varieties. The emergence of CBD-based products has opened up the door to athletes who want to sidestep the intoxicating effects of THC:

• CBD water
• Topicals
• Tinctures
• Capsules
• Transdermal patches
• Sublingual sprays

Athletes turning to cannabis for medicine and enhanced performance (Blog 3)

Cannabis has over 400 chemical entities – 60 of which are cannabinoid compounds which directly act on our neurotransmitter endocannabinoid system. The difference between these compounds, namely CBD and THC, and their effects on performance is a pressing matter for sports bodies, athletes and scientists; however, the amount of research and studies done into the different effects of these compounds is extremely limited.

Endocannabinoids regulate appetite, emotions and memory, and the analgesic properties of cannabis means that more athletes are turning to cannabis as an alternative to pain killers. Whilst some athletes have been using CBD-based products to aid recovery and relieve pain and stress, others use products high in THC in order to increase their focus and performance.

Cannabis also regulates fatigue and so can relieve physical and mental exhaustion, making it a go-to drug for athletes looking for relief from intensive training regimes. The option for athletes to consume edibles rather than smoke the plant also means they can reap the benefits without the harmful effects of smoking.

Several Canadian athletes have been embracing the healing properties of CBD for a number of injuries and ailments. Toronto-based Muay Thai fighter Angelina Musicco suffered injuries from competing and turned to cannabis after being prescribed numerous pain killers, and Montreal-based former mountain biker Phil Dépault did the same after being diagnosed with fibromyalgia, both launching their own cannabis-based products businesses that include edibles and topicals following their successful use of the plant for its medicinal properties.

In Canada and America, a number of sporting initiatives set up by amateur and professional athletes similarly aim to incorporate the use of cannabis in sport and training such as the 4/20 games, Cannafit and NORML Athletics.

Marijuana Can Improve Recovery in Athletes (Blog 2)

In an era when 28 states and the District of Columbia have adopted laws making marijuana medically or recreationally legal, and a recent Gallup poll indicates 60% of Americans support pot legalization, an increasing number of elite athletes are stepping forward to proclaim their cannabis advocacy.

Overturning decades of stigmatization of pot as a gateway drug that ineluctably leads to the abuse of more dangerous Schedule I substances like methamphetamine and heroin, this new wave of sports-world acceptance puts cannabis forward as a “biohack.” That is, a plant-based alternative to opioid pain-relief drugs such as codeine or OxyContin that has the added benefit of unlocking the mind’s potential to boost physical output. Canna-athletics is no longer the exclusive domain of chill bros like surfers and ski bums. Weed workouts and cannabis-enhanced recovery products have come into vogue among pro football players, bodybuilders, Major League Baseball players, mixed martial artists, and endurance athletes—as well as some of their coaches, many of whom are helping promote the efficacy of cannabis through word of mouth.

Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr, who admitted trying—but disliking—cannabis as a remedy for back pain. On a podcast last December, however, Kerr expressed hope that the NBA would consider removing marijuana from its banned-substance list. “I don’t think there’s any question that pot is better for your body than Vicodin,” Kerr said. “Yet athletes everywhere are prescribed Vicodin like it’s vitamin C, like it’s no big deal. There’s this perception that over-the-counter drugs are fine and pot is bad. I think that’s changing.”

According to a relatively new but growing body of research within the medical world, weed’s palliative power owes to an in-built compatibility with the human body’s endocannabinoid system—its largest neurotransmitter system—which is, in fact, named after the marijuana plant Cannabis sativa. “The endocannabinoid system is present in all of our organs,” says Steven DeAngelo, author The Cannabis Manifesto: A New Paradigm for Wellness. “It’s also the neurotransmitter system that processes cannabis. And it endogenously produces chemicals similar to, if not identical to, what the cannabis plant produces to maintain homeostasis.”

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Cannabis Vs. Opioids: Helping Athletes Recover (Blog 1)

When cannabis is illegal and opioids are the No. 1 choice for managing pain, that’s a problem. We need to let athletes consume cannabis to heal from injuries and manage pain and inflammation.

That point is echoed by Kyle Turley, a two-time NFL first-team all-pro and 1998 first-round draft pick. During his nine seasons as an offensive lineman for teams like the New Orleans Saints and St. Louis Rams, he sustained serious ankle, shoulder, and back injuries, which he says got him hooked on opioid pain medication. After retiring in 2007, he began having neurological issues, including suicidal depression and fainting spells, and the addiction escalated. Finally, he swapped the meds for medical marijuana—and, two years ago, experienced a miraculous turnaround. “Cannabis saved my life, period,” he says. “It’s given me back my energy, my drive, my determination.”

Turley is one of many former and current athletes who have struggled with injuries due to their time playing professional football. Over half (52%) used opioids during their NFL career with 71% reporting misuse. 68% of the 70, 000 fatal overdoses in 2017 were due to illicit opioid use. For athletes, especially football players the addiction has increased as well.

Cannabis has been used for thousands of years as a safe and useful means of providing pain relief. Medical cannabis can be an effective alternative to long-term use of opioids, including morphine and oxycodone (OxyContin), especially for patients with fibromyalgia, degenerative arthritis, spinal cord injury, neuromuscular disorders such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and multiple sclerosis, among other conditions.

Cannabidiol (CBD) (a part of the cannabis plant that offers therapeutic benefits without psychoactive effects), helps ease pain and relax the central nervous system. As a pain reliever, it is well documented that marijuana, and specially CBD, can block specific receptors in the brain, and can alleviate severe pain and soreness.

Despite the potential that marijuana holds for people at risk for repeated trauma to the head and the body, the NFL includes all marijuana on its list of banned substances for players, regardless of state laws and medical needs. As a result, the stakes are high for players who want to use cannabis, since a positive drug test has ramifications.