The non-intoxicating marijuana component CBD holds “potentially performance-enhancing properties” for athletes and may serve as an effective post-exercise recovery tool, according to a new scientific review
The research looked at 70 peer-reviewed studies on the therapeutic efficacy of cannabidiol to assess whether the cannabis compound may uniquely benefit people who participate in sports
Researchers at Universidad Nacional in Costa Rica said the research they reviewed—which included studies involving athletes, people with epilepsy and mice—found that “CBD appears to have anti-inflammatory, neuroprotective, analgesic, anxiolytic, and potentially performance-enhancing properties in athletes.”
The researchers stressed that additional evidence is “necessary to confirm these effects,” and part of the reason for the current gap in clinical trials is due in part to “national and international restrictions on access to cannabinoids, including CBD, and strict control of their use for research purposes.”
However, a review of the scientific literature signals that consuming cannabidiol is associated with improvements in “both physiological and cognitive functions.”
For example, studies have demonstrated that CBD can treat “central and peripheral neuropathic pain,” while also assisting with “antidepressant and anxiolytic effects at the cognitive level, with only positive and beneficial evidence for functional recovery and anti-inflammatory symptoms.”
“CBD appears to have beneficial properties for sports recovery.”
“Regarding muscle function and anti-inflammatory effects of CBD administration in animals, a revealing study found that CBD intake could lead to structural and functional improvement of muscles, suggesting muscular recovery,” the paper, published in the journal MHSalud, said
CBD is also linked to reduced resting blood pressure, which can improve “athletic performance and regulation of body weight.”
“Based on these effective benefits, some team sports athletes have widely used CBD for sleep, pain relief, and recovery, and its consumption increases with age,” the study said. Research on cannabidiol and sleep quality improvement also holds “promising evidence for sports.”
“Confirmatory analyses using randomized placebo-controlled trials to test the acute and chronic effects of different dosing regimens are needed,” the authors said
“These studies should consider fundamental aspects of sports, such as the variety of biological and situational conditions that contribute to fatigue, the characteristics of each discipline during training and competition, as well as individual athlete peculiarities, tolerance and response to CBD intake, and the combined effect of CBD administration with other physical and nutritional aids.”
“Given the relatively common use of cannabis and CBD among athletes, there is a clear need to improve scientific understanding of the effects of CBD use on athlete recovery and performance,” the study concluded. “More scientific advances are needed, primarily the execution of experimental trials, which enable a deeper understanding of both positive and negative critical results for the ultimate benefit of athlete recovery and performance.”
“CBD has demonstrated anti-inflammatory, neuroprotective, anxiolytic, and analgesic properties, which are potentially beneficial for athlete recovery.”
Meanwhile, a recent study funded by the National Football League (NFL) found that interest in using marijuana for medical reasons is growing among athletes as more states enact legalization, but many feel they aren’t getting adequate information about cannabis from their teams’ and leagues’ health officials due to ongoing stigma around the issue
The paper, written by researchers at the University of Saskatchewan and University of Regina in Canada, noted that major sports leagues have changed their policies in recent years to remove strict punishments for cannabis use
The researchers behind the study previously published research in 2024 that highlighted the growing acceptability of medical cannabis in sports, while also underscoring the obstacles to marijuana research caused by ongoing federal prohibition
NFL and the league’s players union in recent years have put a focus on funding research related to cannabis and athletes
In 2022, for example, they authorized $1 million in grants for a pair of studies looking into the efficacy of marijuana and its components in managing football players’ pain and providing neuroprotection from concussions
The league and the players union also awarded funding to support research on the therapeutic benefits of CBD as a pain treatment alternative to opioids for players with concussions
The NFL reached an agreement with its players union in 2024 to further reform its marijuana policies, significantly reducing fines for positive tests while increasing the allowable THC threshold for players. About four years after NFL ended the practice of suspending players over cannabis or other drugs as part of a collective bargaining agreement, the league again revised its Substances of Abuse Policy and Performance Enhancing Substances Policy
NBA, for its part, removed marijuana from the banned substances list for players in 2023, and it also freed them up to invest in and promote cannabis companies
Most recently, for example, the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) this year removed marijuana from its prohibited substances list while also laying out rules for how players can invest in and promote cannabis companies
The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in 2024 voted to remove marijuana from its banned substances list for Division I players
The reform builds on a 2022 change that increased the allowable THC threshold for college athletes, aligning NCAA’s rules with those of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA)
The head of the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) blasted the “unfair” ban on marijuana for athletes competing in international sport events, including the Olympics that were underway in Paris at the time of the comments
USADA CEO Travis Tygart said it was “disappointing” that WADA has maintained the cannabis prohibition based on what he considers a misguided justification
WADA did carry out a review into its marijuana policy at the request of USADA and the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) following the controversial suspension of U.S. runner Sha’Carri Richardson, who was barred from participating in the Olympics in 2021 after she tested positive for THC. Richardson said she used cannabis to cope with the recent passing of her mother
While UFC announced in late 2023 that it was formally removing marijuana from its modified banned substances list for athletes, the league notified participants that the reform didn’t apply under California State Athletic Commission (CSAC) rules. UFC advised fighters that they could be subject to a $100 fine by CSAS if they tested over 150 nanograms of THC per milliliter ahead of the UFC 298 event that took place in February
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