Synthesis Essay

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The NeedNeed

Athletes are openly using marijuana for pain relief and as a recovery aid. Science says it works—without boosting performance, as steroids and other performance enhancers do. So why isn’t it legal in sports? By Chris Lee

for Weed

Eugene Monroe / Football

Nate Diaz / MMA

Steve Kerr / Basketball

POUNDING ALONG Rocky Mountain trails for 10 to 45 miles daily in preparation for such grueling, high-altitude, multiday events as the Ouray 100 Mile Endurance Run and Fat Dog 120, pro ultramarathoner Avery Collins faces certain practical decisions before lacing up his sneakers, like: Should he smoke marijuana through his vape pen or consume a cannabis- infused chocolate bar? • “Edibles, for me, provide a much deeper high— everything is much more natural and flowing—and it makes the run much more spiritual,” says Collins. “As far as smoking goes, it’s a clearer high. Sometimes even more energetic. Typically, I prefer it on a shorter run—10 to 15 miles—because it’s going to wear off a lot faster.” • The 24-year-old upstart, who set course records at the Colorado 200 Mile Endurance Run & Relay and the Cloudsplitter 100 and who’s won or placed at similar events across North America, is quick to point out that he avoids consuming pot during competitions—cannabinoids are, after all, banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency. But like a growing number of long-distance runners who’ve started using cannabis in their pursuit of mental stamina, increased focus, and pain relief, Collins is upfront about the benefits of weed workouts–particularly when it comes to the pot extract cannabidiol (CBD), which he uses via ➜

Weed: It’s not just for surfers and ski bums anymore

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transdermal patches and Ben Gay-like

gels to bounce back from sports-sustained

wear and tear.

“After a 30- to 40-mile run, I’ll sit down,

and my legs will keep throbbing and

pounding; it’s like they think they’re still

supposed to be going,” says the Steamboat

Springs, CO–based runner, who’s sponsored

by Roll-uh-Bowl bongs, Mary’s Medicinals,

and Incredibles, a line of pot-infused choco-

lates. “That’s when the CBD compounds

help tremendously. They calm down your

legs and, because they’re anti-inflammatory,

let them recover faster.”

LEGIONS OF BUDDING SPORTS FANS These days Collins is hardly the only athlete

decimating the stereotype of cannabis

users as lazy, chip-chomping stoners. In

an era when 28 states and the District

of Columbia have adopted laws making

marijuana medically or recreationally legal,

and a recent Gallup poll indicates 60% of

Americans support pot legalization, an

increasing number of elite athletes are

stepping forward to proclaim their cannabis

advocacy in ways that would have been

unthinkable just a generation ago.

Overturning decades of stigmatization of

pot as a gateway drug that ineluctably leads

to the abuse of more dangerous Schedule I

substances like methamphetamine and

heroin, this new wave of sports-world

acceptance puts cannabis forward as a

“biohack.” That is, a plant-based alternative

to opioid pain-relief drugs such as codeine

or OxyContin that has the added benefit

of unlocking the mind’s potential to boost

physical output.

Furthermore, so-called canna-athletics is

no longer the exclusive domain of chill bros

like surfers and ski bums. Weed workouts

and cannabis-enhanced recovery products

have come into vogue among pro foot-

ball players, bodybuilders, Major League

Baseball players, mixed martial artists, and

endurance athletes—as well as some of

their coaches, many of whom are helping

promote the efficacy of cannabis through

word of mouth.

“I think all athletes—whether they’re

NFL or NBA pros or just serious athletes

wanting to better their fitness—are

learning about the therapeutic potential

of this plant,” say Suzanne Sisley, M.D., an

Arizona-based physician and psychiatrist

affiliated with the advocacy group Doctors

for Cannabis Regulation, who regularly

treats pro athletes’ sports-related injuries.

“Athletes are teaching each other how to do

this. It’s like a peer-mentoring process.”

Among those pro-pot pros: UFC

commentator and Brazilian jiu-jitsu black

belt Joe Rogan, who wrote on his blog:

“Getting high and working out is one of the

least talked about and least appreciated

pleasures of fitness”; 2006 Tour de France

winner Floyd Landis (whowinner Floyd Landis (who was later was later

stripped of his title forstripped of his title for using synthetic singstripped of his title for using synthetic synthetic

testosterone), who utestosterone), who uses cannabis to combat annabistestosterone), who uses cannabis to combat to combat

chronic hip pain andchronic hip pain and launched a line of chedchronic hip pain and launched a line of a line of

recreational marijrecreational marijuana-infused products usedrecreational marijuana-infused products products

called Floyd’s of Leadville last summer;

even Golden State Warriors head coach

Steve Kerr, who admitted trying—but

disliking—cannabis as a remedy for back

pain. On a podcast last December, however,

Kerr expressed hope that the NBA would

consider removing marijuana from its

banned-substance list. “I don’t think there’s

any question that pot is better for your

body than Vicodin,” Kerr said. “Yet athletes

everywhere are prescribed Vicodin like it’s

vitamin C, like it’s no big deal. There’s this

perception that over-the-counter drugs are

fine and pot is bad. I think that’s changing.”

Jim McAlpine is the founder of the 420

Games, a three-year-old, family-friendly

sporting-event series intended to “change

the perspective on cannabis and the

people who use it within a healthy and

active lifestyle.” Last May, the longtime

weightlifter, open-water swimmer, and

cannabis user announced he’d be opening

Power Plant Fitness, a San Francisco

gym/wellness center that would allow

members to consume marijuana products

on site, under the supervision of canna-

knowledgable fitness professionals.

“It’s always been a huge part of bodybuilding

culture to smoke,” says McAlpine, recalling

the scene in the 1977 documentary Pumping

Iron when seven-time Mr. Olympia

winner Arnold Schwarzenegger is shown

enthusiastically smoking a joint. “We all hid it.

But the collective consciousness has changed

to take that stigma away. It’s like coming out

of the closet for a gay person. I’ve had to hide

this my whole life as an athlete. But now I can

standstand up and feel proud about it!” up and feel proud about it!”

LET’S BE BLUNT: IT WORKS… Sports pot proselytizers like to say that

cannabis isn’t a performance-enhancing

drug: Unlike anabolic steroids, testosterone,

or EPO, marijuana has never been shown to

28

“Smoking brings a clearer and

sometimes even more energetic

high than edibles. Typically, I prefer

it on a shorter run—10 to 15

miles—because it’s going to wear

off a lot faster. AV E RY C O L L I N S

Number of states that have legalized

pot for medical or recreational use

”

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28

give users an unfair competitive advantage.

But, users say, its benefits—physical and

mental, pre- and post-workout—abound.

The plant’s psychoactive effects will be

familiar to anyone who’s ever watched a

Cheech & Chong movie. Users experience

mild, short-term euphoria but also, at

times, anxiety and introspection, thanks to

a cannabinoid called tetrahydrocannabinol,

aka THC.

“Cannabis helps your mind get into a

flow state as an athlete,” McAlpine says.

“Whether you’re skiing or running or in the

gym lifting weights, cannabis can unlock

your mind’s potential to focus on the sport

you’re participating in.”

Meanwhile, another cannabinoid in

weed, the aforementioned CBD—which,

notably, doesn’t get users stoned—is now

widely recognized for its anti-inflammatory

and pain-relieving properties as well as

its ability to lessen anxiety, insomnia, and

the symptoms of multiple sclerosis. It even

gained notice in 2013 as a treatment for

childhood epilepsy.

Though outlawed by the UFC, CBD

is increasingly popular among fighters

looking for alternatives to prescription

pain pills. Brawlers like UFC welterweight

Nate Diaz even use it to treat symptoms

of concussions and chronic traumatic

encephalopathy (CTE), a progressive

degenerative disease resulting from severe

or repeated blows to the head.

“It helps with the healing process and

inflammation,” Diaz said while smoking

a CBD-loaded vape pen during aa CBD-loaded vape pen during a press

conference after UFC 202 last Auconference after UFC 202 last August.

“So you want to get these before a“So you want to get these before and after

the fights, training. It’ll make youthe fights, training. It’ll make your life a

better place.”

According to a relatively new buAccording to a relatively new but growing According to a relatively new but growing

body of research within the medicabody of research within the medical world,

weed’s palliative power owes to an iweed’s palliative power owes to an in-built

compatibility with the human bodycompatibility with the human body’s

endocannabinoid system—its largesendocannabinoid system—its largest

neurotransmitter system—which is,neurotransmitter system—which is, in fact,

named after the marijuana plant Cannamed after the marijuana plant Cannabis

sativa. “The endocannabinoid systemsativa. “The endocannabinoid system is

present in all of our organs,” says Stevpresent in all of our organs,” says Steven

DeAngelo, author The Cannabis ManDeAngelo, author The Cannabis Manifesto:

A New Paradigm for Wellness. “It’s alsoA New Paradigm for Wellness. “It’s also the

neurotransmitter system that processeneurotransmitter system that processes

cannabis. And it endogenously produccannabis. And it endogenously produces

chemicals similar to, if not identical to,chemicals similar to, if not identical to, what

the cannabis plant produces to maintaithe cannabis plant produces to maintain

homeostasis.”

…BUT NOT WELL ENOUGH, SAYS THE FDA Though widespread anecdotal evidence

points to a legitimate biological basis for tpoints to a legitimate biological basis for the

benefits of marijuana, the substance cannbenefits of marijuana, the substance cannot

be designated a true “medicine” until

undergoing rigorous controlled trials by thundergoing rigorous controlled trials by the

U.S. Food and Drug Administration. And

due to what many legalization proponents

call bureaucratic heel dragging, that has yetcall bureaucratic heel dragging, that has yet

to happen.

“The FDA has not approved any drug

product containing or derived from botan-

ical marijuana for any indication,” reads a

statement on the administration’s website.

“This means that the FDA has not found

any such product to be safe or effective for

the treatment of any disease or condition.”

B U Z Z K I L L

1/ Robert Parish

The ex-NBAer was

nabbed for FedEx-

ing a pack of weed

to his house.

2/ Michael Phelps

The über Olympian

lost $$ when spon-

sors saw a pic of

him using a bong.

3/ Nate Newton

He was jailed post-

NFL for having 213

lbs, then 175 lbs, of

weed in his car.

4/ Chris Perez

The ex-Indian got

caught mailing pot

to his home—ad-

dressed to his dog.

Some ganja-loving athletes are just stoned-cold stup id. Take, for instanceÉ

YO U D O P E !

DESPITE ALL ITS BENEFITS, CANNABIS HAS ALSO BEEN FOUND TO IMPAIR SHORT-TERM MEMORY, DECREASE ALERTNESS, ACCELERATE MUSCLE FATIGUE, AND RAISE THE RISK OF HEART ATTACK.

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Getting high and working out is one of the least talked about and least appreciated pleasures of fitness.”

Moreover, users face certain risks that

have grown only more acute in recent

years due to the increasing potency of

marijuana. Research shows that cannabis

consumption—particularly in heavy doses

(above 100mg) and for chronic users—can

impair short-term memory and decrease

alertness, limit lung capacity, and pose

increased heart-attack incidence, especially

for users with preexisting heart conditions.

According to Ben Greenfield, an Ironman

triathlete/fitness trainer/holistic nutritionist

who wrote the best-selling biohack

compendium Beyond Training, those risks

should be taken seriously by athletes.

“For events that require fine motor skills,

like tennis or golf, it could have a deleterious

effect,” says Greenfield. “There are some

suggestions that it could cause damage

to the heart. One study published in the

American Heart Association’s journal

found that pot use can cause what’s called

transient ventricular regional ballooning:

TVRB of the heart, a form of cardio myop-

athy that can weaken the heart muscle and

mimic symptoms of a heart attack.”

In terms of maintaining an athlete’s lung

health, though, Greenfield says eating weed

beats smoking it, hands down: “Edibles,

vaping, patches, or mouth strips would be

highly encouraged versus smoking.”

For her part, Sisley admits she was deeply

skeptical of cannabis as a wellness tool

when she first encountered it a decade ago

among veterans suffering from PTSD.

“I consider myself a scientist,” says Sisley,

who’s also a certified clinician for Major

League Baseball. “I don’t advocate anything

unless it’s based on data.”

But having spent the past six years

conducting an FDA-approved medical-

marijuana study on treating veterans

with PTSD, for which she was given a

$2 million grant from the Colorado

Board of Health, Sisley’s come to accept

its “whole plant” medicinal value: “Thereits “whole plant” medicinal value: “There’s J O E R O G A NJ O E R O G A NEJ O E R O G A NR O G A N

94 MILLION Number of people in the U.S. who’ve admitted to

using pot at least once

already substantial data suggesting that

cannabis can promote neuroprotection,”

says Sisley, who will begin a study on NFL

players and medical marijuana use for CTE

in late 2017. “And it canin late 2017. “And it can be really useful be really useful

for athletes experiencfor athletes experiencing multiple head gfor athletes experiencing multiple head multiple head

injuries. They couldinjuries. They could use it as a preventive asinjuries. They could use it as a preventive a preventive

tool for brain repaitool for brain repair.”

REEFER MADREEFER MADMEN OF THE NFL THEREEFER MADMEN OF THE NFL NFL Exhibit A: Ex–BaExhibit A: Ex–Baltimore Ravens offensive avensExhibit A: Ex–Baltimore Ravens offensive offensive

tackletackle Eugene Monroe. Last year, Monroe Eugene Mtackle Eugene Monroe. Last year, Monroe ear,tackle Eugene Monroe. Last year, Monroe Monroe

“

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fitness.”

94 MILLION94 MILLION

G R E E N B U C KS

1 / FLOYD LANDIS (above)

Opened Floyd’s of Leadville

in Colorado, selling high-end

cannabis oil and pharmaceutical-

grade ointments.

2 / METHOD MAN & REDMAN

The How High stars par tnered

with the app BlazeNow to deliver

weed in states where it’s legal.

3 / CLIFF ROBINSON

Former Trail Blazer “Uncle Spliffy”

is launching his own nickname-

sake weed-grow biz in Oregon.

4 / DICK WOLF

The Law & Order creator put $1.5

million into DigiPath, a Las Vegas–

based provider of lab-testing and

pot-education services.

5 / THE MARLEY FAMILY

To pay homage to the poster boy

of getting high, the Marley Family

launched Marley Natural.

Both athletes and celebrities are investing green in the weed industry

became the first active NFL player to openly

advocate for the use of cannabinoids to treat

chronic pain and CTE.

In June, however, Monroe was released by

the team after publishing an open letter on

the site The Players’ Tribune, which pointed

out the league’s heavy reliance on opioids to

get players back on the field. It noted that

retired NFL players misuse prescription

painkillers at a rate more than four times

higher than the general population, and

pushed for marijuana to be removed from

the league’s list of banned substances.

“I was at the opposite end at one point—

the person who wanted no association

with cannabis whatsoever,” says Monroe,

who retired last summer citing health

concerns caused by the serial concussions

he sustained over a lifetime of football.

“Now I’m openly fighting for it. When

cannabis is illegal and opioids are the

No. 1 choice for managing pain, that’s a

problem. We need to let athletes consume

cannabis to heal from injuries and

manage pain and inflammation.”

That point is echoed by Kyle Turley, a two-

time NFL first-team all-pro and 1998 first-

round draft pick. During his nine seasons

as an offensive lineman for teams like the

New Orleans Saints and St. Louis Rams, he

sustained serious ankle, shoulder, and back

injuries, which he says got him hooked on

opioid pain medication. After retiring in

2007, he began having neurological issues,

including suicidal depression and fainting

spells, and the addiction escalated.

Finally, he swapped the meds for medical

marijuana—and, two years ago, experienced

a miraculous turnaround. “Cannabis saved

my life, period,” he says. “It’s given me back

my energy, my drive, my determination.”

Now, as the NFL is mired in CTE lawsuits,

Turley has become an outspoken advocate

of overturning the league’s cannabis ban.

“The NFL’s stance on this is terrifying.

There’s something on the sideline waiting

to get in and save the game, and they don’t

seem to care,” he says. “Are we going to get

into the semantics of ‘reefer madness’ when

the science is truly there?”

BLAZING THE TRAIL— THROUGH WASHINGTON? But even the most 420-friendly sports

evangelists will tell you that one size doesn’t

fit all when it comes to pot consumption.

Given the hundreds of different cannabis

phenotypes, Sisley says, user experiences

tend to be “strain dependent,” with different

varieties of weed provoking different levels

of alertness—or paranoia—in users.

“Everybody reacts differently,” she says.

“That’s why it’s important to take it out of

the shadows—to educate users and offer

access to lab-tested cannabis. We want to

enable athletes to come off the black market

and find a strain that works for them.”

Meanwhile, “microdoses” of pot are

becoming more and more popular in the

fitness community. Typically between 5mg

and =, these dosages are still large enough

to trigger cannabinoids’ positive effects,

yet small enough not to stimulate its more

negative ones.

But if new U. S. Attorney General Jeff

Sessions has his way, pot laws will stay strict.

He’s made it clear he’s a fervent foe of pot,

stating last April, “We need grown-ups in

charge of Washington to say marijuana

is not the kind of thing that ought to be

legalized.” So it remains to be seen how

he’ll react if and when McAlpine makes

good on his goal of taking Power Plant

Fitness nationwide. (Three more California

branches are in the planning stages.)

“Cannabis isn’t for stupid stoners

who sit on their asses and eat Taco Bell,” he

says. “There’s a massive number of people

who don’t use it because it’s not legal.

When it becomes legal, and they hear of its

benefits, they’re going to want to try it. I’m

creating this gym for the ‘canna-curious,’ to

connect them with athletes who can serve as

their sensei, or shamans, and ease them into

a substance that can be intimidating.”

As for ultramarathoner Avery Collins—

who lives in Colorado, where liberal pot

laws have given rise to a community of like-

minded, toke-loving runners—he’s passed

from “canna-curious” to “canna-cool,” and

he doesn’t give a damn who knows it.

“I couldn’t care less, man. It doesn’t

bother me,” he says about what people

think. “There are a lot of elite athletes who

use but refuse to say anything publicly

because they’re afraid they’ll lose their big

sponsors. But others are stepping out to say,

‘I’m a cannabis user, and that doesn’t make

me a bad person.’ ”

Of his decision to forgo vaping during

competition, he adds: “I want to follow the

rules—and I don’t like people making up

excuses as to why I beat them.” ■

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