According to a study, 1 in 4 athletes have used cannabis within the past year, despite the plant being prohibited in competition.
Marijuana remains on the World Anti-Doping (WADA) prohibited list, even after a group of athletes petitioned to have it removed from the list in 2019. Has this stopped athletes from using it? Not according to the findings of one study from 2020.
After examining several studies reporting use among athletes, the study’s researchers found that approximately 23.4 per cent of athletes had used cannabis in the previous 12 months.
The review was published by the American Orthopedic Society for Sports Medicine (AOSSM) in February 2020 and included 37 studies, the majority of which were cross-sectional studies of elite and university athletes.
Out of the 37 studies, 11 focused purely on reporting cannabis use among athletes, and found that more than 23 per cent of high-level athletes had used cannabis at some point over the past year.
“Overall, these results suggest that approximately 1 in 4 athletes report using cannabis within the past year. Based on the available evidence, cannabis does not appear to positively affect performance, but the literature surrounding this is generally poor. Given the variability in regulation across different sport types and competition levels, as well as the growing number of states legalizing recreational cannabis use, there is a need to improve our understanding of the effects of cannabis use on the athlete and perhaps adopt a clearer and overarching policy for the use of cannabis by athletes in all sports and at all levels,” concluded the 2020 study.
Two of the examined studies also found the drug had a negative impact on athletic performance, while another two found it had no impact.
