How athletes look towards legal CBD to help them handle pain
By: Angelique Moss
Tags: Medical Marijuana, Cannabis, Health, Athletes, Sports

When it comes to cannabis, the world has been changing the way it views the controversial substance. What used to be something that’s regarded as dangerous and actually banned at a Federal Level, is now seen as a lucrative opportunity for business and has been legalized not only in key areas but among major nations like Canada.

It won’t be long before the U.S. will most likely find itself in a similar situation — the 2018 Farm Bill has just been passed, and with it comes the possible full legalization of hemp cultivation, a cousin of marijuana, but one that doesn’t bring any of the psychoactive effects that have made it controversial in the first place.

But more than just a business opportunity, the acceptance of cannabis is due to the fact that it has numerous health advantages. The cannabis compound cannabidiol (CBD), in particular, is known to be a great source of cannabis health benefits without the danger of getting high.

Its health benefits are so recognized that the World Health Organization (WHO) actually became one of the strongest voices to encourage government and medical sectors to do further research on the medical benefits of CBD, one of the 200-plus compounds found in the cannabis plant.

Based on an initial report of the WHO’s narcotics arm, the Expert Committee on Drug Dependence (ECDD), on CBD, the compound showed some significant therapeutic value for seizure due to epilepsy and related conditions.

CBD from cannabis is life-changing for athletes who already retired from sports (Source).

The report was based on both animal and human studies and was shared during the annual meeting of ECDD, where they review several psychoactive substances and recommend whether or not they must be placed on the list of drugs under international control.

According to the WHO report, there is evidence that shows that CBD is not likely to be abused or create dependence compared to other cannabinoids like tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). Apart from addressing epilepsy, CBD is also known to address insomnia, chronic pain, mild anxiety and various types of inflammation.

CBD and sports

Among the advantages, addressing inflammation and chronic pain directly benefits athletes. Always pushing their bodies to the limit, most athletes end each training or competition with pain in their muscles, or as with some extreme sports, permanent damage to some parts of their body.

Cannabis, or CBD in particular, helps in relieving inflammation of the muscles due to extreme activities, which eases the pain. This allows athletes to continue with training and sports by making the pain manageable.

Professionals using cannabis

The use of cannabis is not unheard of in sports. In this article from Forbes, it was shared that BIG3 became the first professional league in the U.S which allowed the use of CBD to help athletes manage pain.

The U.S. Pro Hockey teams are also known to be lenient when it comes to cannabis use. Other leagues like the National Basketball Association and the National Football League which have a pretty progressive idea of using cannabis in sports.