The sporting world is widely known for its no tolerance drug policy
Shockingly though, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has ended its prohibition on cannabis compound CBD. WADA was founded in 1999 via an initiative led by the international Olympic Committee in order to obstruct and keep an eye on illegal use of sports-enhancing drugs. The end in the war on CBD is surprising, because cannabis has long been included on their list of banned substances. Here’s more on the story:
It may surprise you to realise that marijuana and sports are very closely tied
In fact, research done by WADA itself screened over a quarter of a million athletes globally, and 4% were found to have cannabinoids in their body – hundreds of sportspersons lost their titles due to this. For example, Michael Phelps, an incredibly successful Olympian, was suspended for three months after it was discovered he used marijuana.
Times are changing though
And more and more famous sportspeople are speaking out about how CBD has changed their lives for the better. Boxer and MMA fighter for the UFC, Nate Diaz, openly talks about his CBD use and says that it aids greatly in the healing process after his fights. Furthermore, former football player Jake Plummer discovered CBD after ten years of suffering from a knee injury that just wouldn’t let up – he claims that it helps tremendously and is now promotes the substance as a spokesperson.
An influential organisation like WADA openly admitting
That CBD is okay for athletes means great things for the cannabis community. Governments all over the world will be forced to take this into account, and hopefully it will sway some of them to have another think about their prohibition policies.
Using performing enhancing drugs
Of course, using performing enhancing drugs, to me at least, is still cheating. Things like steroids and other amphetamines are rightly banned from the Olympics and other sports because they put non-users at a great disadvantage. I’m sure you’ll agree that using speed to run faster is entirely different to healing your injuries with a harmless plant compound – and WADA does now too. Hopefully with WADAs word on the matter, more and more societies will begin to realise the therapeutic benefits of CBD and cannabis in general, and acceptance and legalisation will become more vast.