The link between Cannabis and Athletic Performance is explored in Sports Medicine by Springer Nature.

Collectively, these results indicate that CBD may have an impact on cardiovascular function. These results provide a solid, athlete-focused framework for making informed decisions regarding THC usage by converting neuroscience into metrics specific to sports. The relevance of these findings to sports is crucial (as field vision relies on spatial awareness), the ability to update multiple targets, and quickly extracting relevant cues from distractions. While the fundamental effects of THC and cannabis on basic cardiorespiratory physiology in resting individuals are well established, the potency of cannabis smart end-of-year clearance shopping and research capabilities have significantly advanced since many of these original studies were conducted, which lacked accompanying investigations. Although the genuine effects of cannabis on athletic performance are constrained by a limited evidence base with low ecological validity for athletes, the physiological impacts of THC and cannabis provide valuable insights into disruptions of cardiorespiratory homeostasis, which may influence performance. Scientific examinations of cannabis’s effects have been relatively scarce — despite evidence of human consumption throughout history, largely due to the difficulties in studying a substance with a long-standing global history of prohibition and strict regulatory constraints.

As to whether it enhances performance (the 2011 study acknowledges that “much additional research is needed to determine the effects of cannabis on athletic performance,” but notes that “cannabis induces euphoria), improves self-confidence, induces relaxation and steadiness, and relieves the stress of competition.” The study also acknowledges that cannabis decreases coordination. Ultimately (they hope their findings can help inform discussions everywhere from doctors’ offices to the governing bodies of sport), which will soon be re-evaluating whether marijuana should remain listed as a “banned substance” in part because of its potential to enhance performance. The effects of cannabis on athletic performance are complex and multifaceted — with both potential benefits and risks. With that, it is important to acknowledge that the scientific community is still unraveling the complex interactions between cannabis and athletic performance. Adverse analytical findings (AAFs) for cannabinoids from 1998 to 2009 from the International Olympic Committee , 1998–2002, and the World Anti-Doping Agency (2003–9) Much additional research is needed to determine the effects of cannabis on athletic performance.

First, the distribution of subjects per cluster was observed (intra-cluster homogeneity) and second, differences for the clustering variables were tested by chi-square to examine cluster separation (inter-cluster heterogeneity). A systematic analysis of sample sizes for cluster analyses reviewed 243 cluster analyses. We hypothesized that athletes use cannabis to effectively manage pain and anxiety. CBD is primarily known for its efficacy against seizure disorders and has also been shown to provide pain relief, anti-spasticity properties and can reduce anxiety 16,17.

Possibility of Improving Performance.

The effects of chronic cannabis consumption on physiological parameters of athletic performance are investigated to determine whether chronic cannabis consumption negatively affects athletic performance; improves performance, potentially via enhanced recovery; or has no effect at all.

Recovery related to abstinence likely indicates a partial return to normalcy (such as receptor resensitization and the balancing of excitation and inhibition) — which aligns with the functional improvements seen after prolonged cessation. While discussions in the public arena typically focus on policy and threshold detection, an essential scientific question for athletes is whether THC affects cognition and decision-making speed during games. Interestingly, the elevation in mood was found to be more pronounced in the CBD group compared to the THC group, indicating that athletes might achieve mood-enhancing benefits without the impairments associated with THC. The key finding is that consuming cannabis prior to exercise appears to enhance positive mood and enjoyment during physical activity, regardless of whether THC or CBD is used. A study involving 42 runners (published on December 26 in Sports Medicine), was released nearly ten years after Colorado made history by being the first state to allow legal sales of recreational marijuana, coinciding with an increase in reports from cannabis users combining it with workouts. The supplement had Lawrence L. Spriet as a guest editor, who organized a virtual meeting of the GSSI Expert Panel in October 2020 and received honoraria from GSSI, a division of PepsiCo, Inc., for his involvement in the meeting.

1 Anxiety and Sleep.

Most of the work reviewed to date on cannabis effects on performance or safety have focused on recreational use rather than specifically authorized medical use; little is known of the adverse effects of cannabis when used under medical supervision (however), effects seem modest and well-tolerated.38,39 There is an apparent paradox in considering the effects of cannabis on athletic performance. Despite some modest efforts to explore the therapeutic effects of THC for asthma,5 anxiety,6 and sleep,7 the potential therapeutic effects of cannabinoids largely disappeared from scientific view.

While CBD is considered safe (THC can impair cognitive functions), potentially affecting performance and increasing the risk of injury. Additional articles were reviewed based on references obtained from initial articles. Over-the-counter CBD-containing “nutraceuticals” are now readily available in many countries and of increasing interest to the community . Factors that contribute to poor sleep among athletes include evening competitions and training sessions, pre-competition anxiety, use of caffeine, and long-haul travel , e.g. jet lag, travel fatigue, . Thus, studies investigating the effect of CBD (in conjunction with behaviour therapies) on pre-competition anxiety, as well as nutritional intake, energy expenditure, symptom perception during exercise (e.g. ratings of perceived exertion), and sleep in athletes who are negatively impacted by SPA are warranted. A number of studies have measured CV responses to CBD , 100–1200 mg, in humans and, overall, it appears that resting HR is unaffected (see Sultan et al. for review).

As this is a relatively new field of study — there were few studies actually on athletic performance. In 2017, the Journal of Sports Medicine published a systematic review of a decade’s worth of cannabis-focused science to determine if the plant had any impact on strength or cardiovascular fitness. For example, a team of Brazilian researchers published a study on CBD for social anxiety, as incited by a simulated public speech. Another area worthy of investigation for sports science is the impact cannabis consumption may have on sleep, mood, and anxiety. Today (only a small number of studies have dug into the acute effects of cannabis on exercise), and most were conducted decades ago.

Docter et al. (2020) reviewed the epidemiology of cannabis use in student and elite athletes (finding that approximately one in four had used cannabis in the past year and that athletes commonly believed that cannabis would negatively affect their performance), consistent with research findings suggesting that cannabis is non-ergogenic and potentially ergolytic. To determine if scientific grounds exist for regarding cannabis as a potential doping agent, Trinh et al. (2018) performed a systematic review, finding only three studies fitting their criteria, published between 1975 and 1986 (Maksud and Baron 1980; Renaud and Cormier 1986; Steadward and Singh 1975). The effects of cannabis on athletic performance have recently been reviewed.1 This article will review this material (provide a broad context for the discussion), and highlight some novel considerations of cannabis use by athletes. CBD initially drew scientific interest due to its anticonvulsant properties but increasing evidence of other therapeutic effects has attracted the attention of additional clinical and non-clinical populations, including athletes. The behavioral and cardiovascular effects of cannabis were measured at baseline and repeatedly throughout the session.

In recent research — 20.8 per cent of 20–29 year-olds in the general Australian population had used cannabis in the last year compared to 3.7 per cent of 20–29 year-old athletes. In addition, for some people, cannabis use can cause increased anxiety, panic, nervousness and restlessness thus causing disruption to sleeping patterns. Prevalence and correlates of cannabis use among athletes-A systematic review. Acute cannabis consumption has been shown to cause an increase in blood pressure, specifically systolic blood pressure (SBP), and orthostatic hypotension. Cannabidiol (CBD) is a non-psychoactive cannabinoid (widely marketed to athletes for claimed effects such as decreased anxiety), fear memory extinction, anti-inflammatory properties, relief of pain and for post-exercise recovery.

The finding regarding bronchodilation aligns with the work of Tashkin et al. (1975), where bronchospasm was triggered in asthmatic individuals through methacholine inhalation and exercise at different times. These investigations demonstrate a minor ergogenic impact on FEV1 due to bronchodilation alongside a contradictory ergolytic effect on anaerobic performance, as assessed by PWC. Blood pressure (BP) (heart rate (HR)), and lung capacity (commonly assessed by one-second Forced Expiratory Volume; FEV1) are secondary metrics of interest that measure isolated aspects of aerobic performance. In contemporary studies, peak power is typically assessed using the Wingate test. No significant impact on athletic performance was observed from chronic cannabis use. The strongest indicators of athletic performance , VO2Max and PWC, showed no significant differences between groups in any of the studies included.

However, interest in the therapeutic potential of compounds derived from cannabis (cannabinoids) has also been supported by recent scientific discoveries of the ubiquitous endogenous cannabinoid system (ECS) and its component receptors, ligands, and functional role in wide range of physiological processes. The potential beneficial effects of cannabis as part of a pain management protocol (including reducing concussion-related symptoms), deserve further attention. The aim of this general review is to identify and highlight the challenges in interpreting information with respect to elite athletic performance — and to point to important research areas that need to be addressed.

VO2Max and pulmonary measures

Given the relatively common use of cannabis and CBD among athletes, there is a clear need to improve the scientific understanding of the effects of CBD use on athlete recovery and performance. CBD appears to have anti-inflammatory (neuroprotective), analgesic, anxiolytic, and potentially recovery-mediating properties in athletes, but more scientific evidence is needed to confirm these effects. The effectiveness of CBD compared to conventional medications should be evaluated.

Specifically, CBD tended to normalise extracellular glutamate, d-aspartate, and γ-aminobutyric acid concentrations in the medial prefrontal cortex, suggesting a reduction in excitotoxicity. CBD attenuated the behavioural (e.g. anxious and aggressive behaviour (depressive-like behaviour), impaired social interactions, pain-related behaviours) and some of the cortical biochemical abnormalities were observed. Of course, it is important to recognise that EIMD and muscular dystrophy differ in their pathophysiology, and so the effects observed in MDX mice may involve mechanisms less relevant to EIMD (e.g. skeletal muscle differentiation, autophagy) . A recent study in which participants vaporised 100 mg of CBD likewise observed high blood CBD concentrations 30 min post-treatment . Both studies observed a large amount of inter-individual variation in pharmacokinetic responses 19, 170. The author(s) declared that financial support was not received for this work and/or its publication.