When the world of sports funds research into medical cannabis

The world of sport is increasingly open to the question of therapeutic cannabis. The World Anti-Doping Agency does not consider CBD to be a doping product, but cannabis remains a prohibited substance in most sports leagues and federations. In the USA, more and more sports federations are taking an interest, often in the face of pressure from players who say they use it anyway. Some are even taking the lead and funding research.

An increasing number of scientific studies suggest that the cannabis is an effective painkiller. Professional athletes, because they are more exposed to injury and pain, are heavy users of painkillers and are in fact more exposed to the opioid addiction that is ravaging the United States (over 70,000 overdose deaths in 2017). Cannabis could replace these controversial drugs.

UFC collaborates with Aurora

L’Ultimate Fighting Championship, the world's largest mixed martial arts (MMA) league, has entered into a multimillion-dollar partnership with Canadian cannabis producer Aurora to study the benefits of CBD for recovery after sport, pain management, inflammation and mental health. Athletes under contract to the league will participate in the study, which will take place at the UFC Performance Institute in Las Vegas.

«Since the day we opened the Performance Institute, our primary goal has been to provide UFC athletes with the best possible training, nutrition and recovery services,» explains Dana White, the league's president, in a press release. «This partnership with Aurora is an extension of our purpose and we are excited to collaborate with Aurora to find new ways to improve the health and safety of UFC athletes.».

Other federations are looking into the matter

The case is reminiscent of the collaboration between National Hockey League (NHL), an association of former professional field hockey players, and Canopy Growth. The two partners have launched a study on CBD and its potential for treating neurological trauma linked to the practice of this violent sport. Researchers estimate that between 1.6 and 3.8 million athletes suffer a sports-related concussion every year.

The National Football League (NFL), the famous association of professional American soccer teams, has been interested in the subject for some time. The League recently concluded an agreement with the NFL Players Association to set up two committees to explore «the appropriateness of incorporating medical cannabis into professional soccer», particularly in pain management. According to former league champion Martellus Bennett, the vast majority of players of the league already use medical cannabis. In fact, some players have been banned for this consumption.

The National Basketball Association (NBA) has also expressed on the subject and remains quite open to therapeutic use cannabis. One area of sport, however, remains categorically closed to the use of cannabis and even CBD: equestrian sports. The United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) recently announced in a press release that horses testing positive for CBD would be disqualified. During a case in France involving horses testing positive for CBD, the Fédération Nationale des Courses Hippiques (FNCH) explained the reasons for the ban.

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