As the controversy following the July 2021 disqualification of track and field athlete Sha’Carri Richardson from the “2020 Summer Olympics” for testing positive for THC has revealed, more and more athletes are using cannabis for medicinal and therapeutic purposes. This raises increased scrutiny into whether to continue prohibiting cannabis use under current World Anti-Doping Agency regulations in professional sports.
The one thing cannabis advocates and detractors agree upon is that the way to clear this controversy is through hard facts revealed through clinical study into the potential therapeutic benefits and risks of cannabis for athletes.
NFL Announces Cannabis Research Funding
On February 1, 2022, the National Football League (NFL) announced that it would spend $1 million to fund two clinical research studies into the potential benefits of cannabis and CBD for neuroprotection and pain management from concussions.
Pain and Recovery from Sports-related Injuries
One study will examine the potential benefits of cannabinoids for pain-relief and recovery in Elite athletes from sports-related injuries. Specifically, it will compare both the effectiveness and potential side effects of THC and CBD each individually as well as both combined against a placebo for relief of post-competition pain from soft-tissue injury sustained during performance.
Neuroprotection and Pain Management from Concussion and Contact Sports Participation
The other study will examine whether THC or CBD are safe and effective therapies for pain management and could help reduce the use of opioids and other prescription medications among athletes post-concussion. This study also aims to evaluate the neuroprotective potential of cannabinoids, which, if identified, could lessen both the amount and severity of concussions, both chronic and acute, in pro football.
Previous Findings on Cannabis in Sports
These are not the first studies into both the potential preventative and therapeutic benefits of cannabis for professional athletes, though, collectively, previous studies have revealed little definitive consensus on the issue.
In addition to the at least 61 cannabinoids cannabis contains, it also contains over 300 other chemical compounds. This includes a variety of amino acids, terpenes, fatty acids, hydrocarbons and nitrogenous compounds, all of which contribute to the therapeutic and pharmacological benefits attributed to cannabis.
Summary
If the new studies the NFL is funding and future studies that emerge continue to verify these findings, the question of whether to declassify cannabis use among athletes as a form of doping and, perhaps, whether to adopt it as a preventative and therapeutic medicine for athletes, may have its answer in the affirmative.
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