What’s the Word on Athletic Trainers and Sports Medicine Docs’ Thoughts on Cannabis? – Just CBD, Cool with THC, Puff it or Nah?

Yo, check it out, fam! There’s been a recent survey that went down in the field of sports medicine, and it’s showing that most medical professionals are vibing with CBD and cannabis. They think it’s time to stop banning marijuana as a prohibited substance in sports, according to the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). This study, which just dropped this month, also found that a lot of sports medicine doctors are down for legalizing marijuana, both for getting high and for medical reasons.

But yo, hold up! This survey also found that not everyone in the field agrees on this stuff. It turns out that age, practice type, and gender play a big role in how people feel about cannabis. Our ladies, older doctors, and folks who work out in the boonies are less likely to support recreational use of weed. They’re also more likely to say that WADA should still keep marijuana on the banned substances list and that CBD shouldn’t be used by college athletes in the NCAA.

On the flip side, our dudes and younger doctors don’t think marijuana is gonna boost performance like some people claim. Basically, these findings show that opinions on CBD, cannabis, and their place in sports are all over the place in the sports medicine community.

So here’s the deal: CBD got taken off WADA’s naughty list in 2018, but marijuana is still banned in competitions by WADA and other major sports organizations. This new study shows that 72% of sports medicine docs are cool with CBD being allowed, and 59% think we should just lift the ban on marijuana altogether. And get this, last September, an NCAA panel said they’re down to remove marijuana from the banned substances list for college athletes.

But wait! Another study just dropped this month saying that states where weed is legal saw more college basketball recruits but had some bad outcomes for football teams. So it’s a mixed bag, my dudes.

Now let’s talk about how doctors feel about recommending CBD to their patients. This new study found that pediatricians, rural doctors, and academic physicians aren’t as keen on suggesting CBD to their patients compared to other doctors. But even with that, the study says a lot of sports medicine peeps are backing CBD and cannabis for chronic pain and nerve pain. And get this, a minority of doctors are even saying that these products can help with concussions and sports performance anxiety. That’s wild!

The reason why CBD is more popular than marijuana among sports medicine docs could be because CBD is seen as safer, it doesn’t get you high like weed, and it’s in a bunch of mainstream products now. So people feel like it’s a safer option compared to cannabis and products with THC.

But check this out, y’all! There are some differences in how doctors see the downsides of CBD versus THC when it comes to physical performance. The study says it’s more about marketing and culture than actual scientific evidence. Some doctors think CBD can mess up your game (9.9%), but even more think the same about cannabis (39%).

This study is saying that we still don’t know a lot about how CBD affects performance compared to cannabis. They think the way we see it might have a lot to do with marketing and advertising. You know, since CBD is in everything these days, it’s changing how we think about it.

Just so you know, this study had a small group (around 7% of the American Medical Society for Sports Medicine membership), so we can’t say for sure how opinions are changing over time.

So even though WADA is keeping marijuana banned, there are some folks pushing for change after U.S. runner Sha’Carri Richardson got suspended from the Olympics for testing positive for THC in 2021. The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) said the rules gotta change, and the White House and President Joe Biden are backing them up. Lawmakers in Congress are saying the same thing.

And yo, some sports organizations are already making moves. The NBA and its players union just signed an agreement that takes marijuana off the banned substances list. Players can even invest in and promote cannabis brands now with a few exceptions. And in Nevada, sports regulators wanna make sure athletes don’t get penalized for using or having weed as long as they’re following state law.

The UFC said in 2021 that fighters won’t get punished for testing positive for marijuana anymore. And the NFL changed its drug testing policy in a big way in 2020. They’re even funding research to see if CBD can help players with concussions.

And check this out, the New York Media Softball League (NYMSL), which has teams from The Wall Street Journal, High Times, and BuzzFeed, got a sponsorship deal with a CBD company from Kentucky. They did it ’cause Major League Baseball (MLB) teams like the Kansas City Royals and Chicago Cubs are partnering with CBD businesses too. MLB itself even has an official CBD brand now called Charlotte’s Web Holdings.

So there you have it, folks! The way doctors feel about CBD and cannabis in sports medicine is changing all the time. It’s a mix of rules, culture, and different opinions. As things keep moving forward, we might see some big changes in how we approach sports medicine. Stay tuned!