Athletes and marijuana is a very popular debate, with some people saying that cannabis is good for athletes because it works for performance and helps with focus. It also does dull the senses though according to others, which does hinder performance. What does the science believe on this? Read on to find out a little bit about cannabis, and how it benefits athletes.
How Marijuana Works on People
For some, they may not know the effects of marijuana on athletes. Others say that it may be good or bad for them, and it’s something that’s hotly debated. Marijuana is something that uses CBD and THC in order to create the effects that it does. When you have it go into the body, the receptors bind to this, creating different effects, from relaxation to dulling pain to even increasing or improving your appetite. The effect on this is something that’s mostly unknown, but there are scientists attempting to make this work.
How it Affects Performance
While there are a lot of athletes that are in support of this, saying that it helps with relaxation and pain, there is sme debate on the overall performance of athletes Some people get more excited to begin exercising based on the strains that they get. There is something called a “lazy strain” which makes someone feel tired and lethargic. Most of the time, if you have a strain that gets you going, you will spend more time at the gym exercising.
What about recovery though? There is some studies which show that marijuana reduces inflammation and pain. it also might interfere with your deep sleep, a major part of the repairing of muscles, so the effect of this is something that isn’t super simple, and in fact is a bit contradictory as an issue.
The effects are mostly based on strains though, and it’s something that you should definitely do research on before you consume cannabis as well.
Long-term Effects?
The effects of this are still kind of unknown, but there are some people who are concerned about the long-term effects, including constant smoking and how it causes the development of lung problems, including lung cancer. There is also some people who worry that the weed strain may impair your recall and memory, so as more and more people are getting this, and more places are legalizing it, you should definitely look at the long-term effects from this.
As for athletes, cannabis is something that’s tested usually through blood or urine test, where they find the CBD, THC, and also the metabolites that are in marijuana. There is the issue too that it might cause false positives as well as you go along. Right now though, as more and more studies are actually in support of this, there are also possible side effects that come with this.
Is’ already become a substance that isn’t banned by a lot of the major sports areas. However, there are other places that still are a bit on the fence about legalizing it. The NBA still believes it’s a substance that should be left illegal in the NBA.
Right now though, we’re starting to see the rippled effect of marijuana in the sprots world, and more people in staunch support of this, which means that we may be able to, with this, see a change in the rules. Right now, marijuana is still something frowned upon in the world of sports, but as we see more and more leagues in support of it because of this, and the drug policies changing, it may change over time.
