US sprinter Sha’Carri Richardson broke the internet last summer when she was suspended for testing positive for cannabis use after her 100m win at U.S. Olympic Trials. USATF and World Athletics received some backlash as there is little scientific research on whether cannabidiol (CBD) and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) hinder or help athletic performance. A new study out of the University of Colorado Boulder hopes to shed some light on how cannabis, which is now legal outside of sport, impacts exercise.
Under World Athletics and World Anti-Doping Agency rules, cannabis is a banned substance that meets two of the following three criteria:
- It has the potential to enhance sport performance
- The substance represents an actual or potential health risk to the athlete
- Use of the substance violates the spirit of the sport
In ultrarunning, cannabis has been seen to have benefits such as numbing pain, minimizing nausea and alleviating fatigue. Ultimately, cannabis is seen as a performance-enhancing substance and is illegal at all levels of competition.
“Cannabis is often associated with a decrease in motivation. But we are seeing an increasing number of unscientific reports of athletes using it while playing golf or practicing yoga, to snowboarding and running,” said Laurel Gibson, a PhD neuroscience student, who is conducting the study.
The observations involved three 15-minute sessions. First, subjects were required to take a baseline cognitive and physical test, then assigned to use either a CBD or THC-dominant strain of cannabis while running; after there was a follow-up where they work out sober. After the two tests, they were asked a few questions about their workout experience.
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