"
Do Athletes Smoke Weed? Can Athletes Smoke Weed?"
CBD (in cannabis) is an anti-inflammatory. It is also known to help with nausea (often experienced during intense physical training), appetite stimulation (especially helpful for power-lifters and MMA fighters who want to consume extra calories for building muscle), and muscle spasms. Cannabis can be consumed in different ways, including smoking. Some athletes may choose to use cannabis during training for the above reasons. Cannabis is however prohibited in sport/during competitions by the World Anti-Doping Agency. Athletes are required to apply for medical exemptions if they intend to use prohibited medication (including cannabis), and their use of the medication must be medically justified. Ultimately, the best way to avoid doping violation for cannabis is through abstinence.
FYI: See link for a list of world anti-doping agency prohibited substances https://www.wada-ama.org/en/content/what-is-prohibited
Lonah NP
Cannabis is just one of many substances which are legal in Canada, yet prohibited in sport.
Why are cannabinoids prohibited?
All prohibited substances are added to the Prohibited List because they meet two of the three following criteria:
• Use of the substance has the potential to enhance performance;
• Use of the substance can cause harm to the health of the athlete; and
• Use of the substance violates the spirit of sport (sportmedbc.com)
However, there is one exception. The exception is cannabidiol (CBD). CBD oil is a non-psychoactive derivative of cannabis which was removed from WADA’s prohibited list in 2018. However, athletes should exercise caution as CBD oil often still contains some concentration of the banned substance tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). Therefore, the use of CBD oil is at an athlete’s own risk (WADA-AMA.org).
Cannabis in Sport: What Legalization means For Canadian Athlets. https://sportmedbc.com/news/cannabis-sport-what-legalization-means-canadian-athletes
World Anti-Doping Agency. “Prohibited List: January 2018”. The World Anti-Doping Code International Standard. (https://www.wada-ama.org/sites/default/files/prohibited_list_2018_en.pdf)
krabell14
