Marijuana a performance-enhancing drug?

Perhaps. The Business Times this week rounds up some of the evidence in support of cannabis use by athletes.

In November, Men’s Journal interviewed elite triathlete Clifford Drusinsky who said cannabis relaxes him and allows him to focus. Other athletes report it helps with the boredom of repetitive training.

Outside Magazine correspondent Gordy Megroztested the theory out himself with a cannabis gummy, finding cannabinoids helped manage fear and anxiety while skiing.

Cannabinoid receptors throughout our brains are activated by THC and that can lead to a reduction in anxiety, doctors say.

Pot also increases airflow to the lungs by dilating blood vessels there, and cannabis smokingcorrelates to having higher lung volume, while “cumulative marijuana use under 20 joint-years is not associated with significant effects on lung function”, the journal Annals of the American Thoracic Society reports. Megroz underwent a simple treadmill test with a physiologist and reported a significant performance gain with weed.

Cannabis is also an anti-inflammtory that promotes healing. Megroz reports getting less sore after a heavy squat session with cannabis. And MMA fighters report routinely use pot as part of therapy after sparring.