Pro

“While public opinion is generally shifting more favourably towards the use of cannabis, there’s one arena where little progress has been made: sports…

It has been established that consuming cannabis does reduce delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) that come with playing high-intensity sports, but so does Ibuprofen and Acetaminophen, neither of which happen to be on the World Anti-Doping Association’s (WADA) prohibited list. Ironically, both of these painkillers have more addictive properties than cannabis, and both carry more adverse side-effects…

Although avid use of marijuana could certainly cause adverse side-effects to athletes, like lung damage or harmful effects in brain-development in teens and young adults, these side effects pale in comparison to the potential harms of frequent alcohol consumption—another substance exempt from WADA’s ban…

None of the three [WADA] criteria for banning a substance appear to coherently apply to cannabis; rather, its continued ban is likely due to the taboo perceptions of the drug at the time these rules were made. It’s time to ditch the misconceptions and give athletes some more autonomy regarding their personal choices.”

Nov. 6, 2020