Colorado University will be starting a first of its kind study on how the legal marijuana market affects exercise performance.
“Cannabis is often associated with a decrease in motivation. But at the same time, we are seeing an increasing number of anecdotal reports of people using it in combination with everything from golfing and yoga to snowboarding and running,” said Laurel Gibson, a PhD student in the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience.
The study will examine the effects of Tetrahydrocannabinol, THC, and cannabidiol, CBD, has on the body during athletic performance. The study will also look at whether supplementing cannabis during exercise will have the “runner’s high” effect.
The Study on Physical Activity and Cannabis Effects, or SPACE, is currently searching for volunteers who already use cannabis while exercising. The study consist of three sessions broken down as follows:
First session – participants will take a baseline cognitive and physical test and be assigned either CBD or THC strains.
Second session – participants will be observed working out sober.
Third session – the participants will workout using the strain they were assigned.
Those running the SPACE study hope to find other benefits as well.
“If cannabis could ease pain and inflammation, helping older adults to be more active, that could be a real benefit,” said CU Boulder Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience Angela Bryan.
