Over the past decade, Marijuana has become extremely popular in the media. This has even led to the legalization of it for medical purposes in multiple states with a few even legalizing it for recreational use as well. Even with this legalization, marijuana or commonly referred to as weed is widely banned across the board in the major Professional Athletic leads. Still with this ban, we often see cases of professional and even collegiate athletes receiving penalties for failed drug test, but what is the real reason that this substance is banned from the sport world. It is not known to give any type of advantage to help the athlete perform better, but it is known to help in the recovery process of injuries.
The WADA’s decision to include cannabis as a performance-enhancing drug was largely due to how it affected the mental state of the user, not the physical state. They’ve said, besides increasing muscle relaxation and pain reduction for post-workout recovery, cannabis can also “decrease anxiety and tension, resulting in better sport performance under pressure.” The WADA has also stated that cannabis can increase “focus and risk-taking behaviours, allowing athletes to forget bad falls or previous trauma in sport, and push themselves past those fears in competition.”
A number of former Pro Athletes have gone on record saying that they smoked marijuana at some point in their career. Former Dallas Cowboy Shaun Smith stated that he smoked 2 blunts before every game and he played 9 seasons in the NFL. Former NBA stars such as Kenyon Martin and Matt Barnes have also come out as using the substance over the course of their careers.
Martellus Bennett, who retired from the NFL in March after 10 seasons, estimated earlier this month that “about 89 percent” of the league smokes marijuana. Many athletes have gone on record saying that they would rather use marijuana to ease the pain opposed to the pills that they are given and are ruining their bodies. So why is it still banned? Commissioner Adam Silver of the NBA states that it is worth looking into and obtaining more knowledge on the matter as the sport continues to progress. My thoughts, it should not be considered a PED because it does not provide any unnatural ability that the athlete did not already possess. It should be simply considered as a pain/stress reliever no different from smoking tobacco and drinking alcohol.
Ryan Upshaw
https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2771410-the-worlds-best-athletes-smoke-weed-heres-proof-what-now
Group 4-Sport Management Seminar 