The immense physical strain that athletes endure frequently leads them to turn to a wide variety of drugs and other natural supplements in an effort to repair and replenish their bodies after a long day of work. In recent years, athletes have been turning to CBD oil with particular gusto, largely because the rise of the cannabis legalization movement has turned CBD products from a niche sector into a booming part of the market with millions of enthusiasts.
CBD oil is getting more popular by the day, yet many athletes are still deeply unfamiliar with it. Here’s what athletes need to know about CBD oil and its implications for the future of sports.
CBD oil isn’t marijuana as you understand it
The most important thing for athletes to know is that CBD oil isn’t marijuana in the traditional sense, though it’s crucially derived from the same cannabis that the THC-enthused drug so beloved in pop culture is. This means that CBD oil doesn’t get you high, as it possesses no psychoactive ingredients that will alter your state of mind. Cannabidiol is simply a concentrated cannabinoid that has a number of properties which have made it attractive to athletes and medical patients alike, especially when it comes to recovering from physical inflammation.
Furthermore, unlike traditional marijuana, CBD oil is legitimate and widely accepted by legal bodies across the world. The World Anti-Doping Agency removed CBD from the list of prohibited substances back in 2018, for instance, and the US Anti-Doping Agency recently made similar moves as well, making CBD oil treatments viable for a wide number of athletes who were once prohibited from such substances. Nevertheless, athletes need to understand that CBD oil is a cannabis product, and like any such products regulations and laws surrounding its ownership and consumption can be fickle. It’s thus advisable that athletes check with a trusted source about their local laws before consuming CBD oil for any purposes.
Cannabinoids naturally exist in the human body, and the reason that so many athletes are now interested in CBD oil treatments is that such remedies can help you manage your body’s neurotransmitters. A number of major athletes are already relying on CBD oil, largely because they think it helps them in post-game or practice recovery sessions when their muscles are inflamed, and their skin is irritated. A handy list of athletes already using CBD oil includes two-time Super Bowl winner Leonard Marshall, demonstrating that even top of the line competitors have found CBD oil to be worthy of their time and consideration.
CBD oil impacts every patient differently, however, and the long-term consequences of its use are still relatively unknown given that so little study has been allowed due to the outlawed status of cannabis. What we do know from the CDC gives us reason to believe that athletes can safely rely on CBD oil for some things, however.
It helps with chronic pain
According to the CDC’s authoritative page on the impacts of medical marijuana, cannabis-based products indisputably help manage chronic pain and deal with nausea. The FDA is looking into CBD products with renewed vigor thanks to their recent uptick in popularity, too, so it’s likely that more CBD-oil specific data will soon be released to the public when government agencies are confident in their findings. In the meantime, private researchers continue to dive into the world of CBD oil in hopes of unearthing lucrative new treatment solutions that athletes can make use of.
The FDA has given out stern warning letters to companies selling CBD-related products, however, especially food-based products which are particularly unstudied. While the agency hasn’t become overly concerned about CBD oil, it still sees a serious potential for abuse to occur in the selling of other CBD products. Athletes who try and enjoy CBD oil are thus highly advised to exercise strict caution when making CBD related purchases, especially as CBD-based foodstuffs, such as 100 Indica strain, are more suspect than concentrated oil extracts.
Furthermore, it can be difficult to obtain pure CBD oil, so athletes who are interested in pursuing CBD-related treatment therapies should be very careful about where they source their oil from. If the CBD oil you’re relying on was improperly made, packaged, or handled, for instance, it could have come into contact with THC-related products that could come up on a drug test. Nevertheless, CBD oil is still so popular with many because of its anti-inflammatory abilities and ability to lull athletes to sleep after a long day of working out.
CBD oil may be revolutionizing the world of athletics, but many athletes are still in the dark about this interesting substance. Athletes who are interested in CBD oil treatments should exercise caution when sourcing their ingredients and should always check up on local laws regarding cannabis to ensure their legal safety. For some, CBD oil has proven to be a god-send, so it’s doubtlessly true that athletes will continue to explore the helpful properties of CBD oil for the foreseeable future.