Interest in using marijuana for medical reasons is growing among athletes as more states enact legalization, but many feel they aren’t getting adequate information about cannabis from their teams’ and leagues’ health officials due to ongoing stigma around the issue, a new study funded by the National Football League (NFL) shows.
“Elite contact sport athletes use cannabis intentionally for recreational, therapeutic, and recovery purposes but face systemic barriers related to misinformation, stigma, and inconsistent policy guidance,” the study, published this month in the journal Sports Health, says. “As cannabis legality expands, this potential knowledge gap impairs athletes’ ability to make informed decisions about cannabis for health and performance. Lack of knowledge increases exposure to unregulated products, and may cause athletes to overlook potential therapeutic benefits.”
The paper, written by researchers at the University of Saskatchewan and University of Regina in Canada, notes that major sports leagues have changed their policies in recent years to remove strict punishments for cannabis use.
Most recently, for example, the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) this year removed marijuana from its prohibited substances list while also laying out rules for how players can invest in and promote cannabis companies.
“With sports leagues removing cannabis from
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