Is Medical Marijuana a Performance-Enhancing Drug?
Not by any rational standard, but the folks who run the Iditarod, Alaska’s famous sled-dog race, seem to think so. Yikes.
Tagged with: Alaska and drug testing and Medical Marijuana and sports by the author
26 comments
It calms the mind. A lot of competitive sport is mental. I believe it does enhance performance by leading to a calmer state of mind.
In ancient times, weren’t assassins in India given cannabis so that they could focus on their task more? I seem to remember something about hearing why they call it “hashish.”
I think this is very funny, they will come up with anything to kick someone down. whats next im out jogging an someone comes up to me an ask, your quick you must smoke marijuana.
I would love to see this testimony on video or something so that it can be played for Prohibitionists, I would just die to hear their response.
I found out about this several day before you posted your blog Bruce.
I found the information on topix.com
I use it every day, constantly, to search for and blog about recent news in drug reform and marijuana policy.
When I was a teen, it sure made my video game conquering alot easier. As an adult, it has refined my house cleaning prowess (main reason my wife is lienient with my smoking). But more or less I still think it’s more of a ADD/ADHD issue then performance enhancing for people with chemically normal brains.
Also being discussed in MMA:
http://mmajunkie.com/news/17113/ask-the-doc-should-marijuana-be-banned-as-a-performance-enhancing-drug.mma
Who is paying for this?
The article in Lance Mackey’s hometown newspaper said that most of the mushers drink coffee to stay awake and compete i n this grueling race. I sent the article in to Bruce, via Mike Meno. I don’t know why they didn’t print the entire article from his hometown paper instead of some paper for dog loving people. What’s up with that anyway Bruce?
He says it helps him stay awake and focused. It also can do the exact same for me. In some cases cannabis can indeed enhance your performance, but to be consistent if cannabis is banned from a sport for keeping you alert, caffeine should be as well.
I firmly believe in legalization. I also believe that if a sport wants to ban cannabis, that’s acceptable, but stupid.
Maybe if your competing in the Hog Dog Eating contest on Coney Island!!!!
I have heard that in some cultures cannabis enhances night vision.
I really does work. I got a 3.85 in college. I am a software engineer and it allows me to work all night.
Wouldn’t you HAVE to be high to run that crazy race?
cannabis enhances energy. When pain and the things cuasing the pain are put to ease The ” body” is able to concentrate and is not busy fighting pain or droned becuase of the meds perscribed to (so call) help.. I think for me anyway this holds truth
Sure some people find they perform certain activities better after smoking marijuana; I’m one of them actually. But to call cannabis a “performance enhancing drug” is akin to calling coffee a PED, just like Kerri Edwards points out above. Don’t these mushers benefit from the extra energy and alertness provided by the caffeine? Should coffee be banned, by that rationale?
What better way to segregate people from society than to test them for marijuana use for every conceivable thing! “Only losers smoke pot” will be the rally cry, only because they exclude them from any type of competition, job, etc by drug testing. They are effectively trying to make the outcome how they wish it to be when the drug use itself does not make people check out of society. The prohibition does.
Yeah…I read this a few days ago. Notice they’re not banning coffee and most likely not cigarettes either (by anyones estimation, both potent drugs)…this is just more silly s**t.
Dagga (a/k/a) sour diesel. The famous south African herb was smoked by coal miners to help them work harder.
WTF?? PERFORMANCE ENHANCING? I mean…WTF?
This is truly hillarios. It’s also just another sign that they have run out of excuses. I mean, really. Are they looking at the party olympics, or maybe their hometown’s pie eating contests? Robin Williams brought this up. There was an olympic sprinter who got kicked out for using cannabis as a PED. You couldn’t hear anything but laughter from that announcement. After people calmed down, he said “I can see that – just place a Hershey bar at the end of the track.”
Se4riously, I know that there are thousands of benefits that cannabis gives us to perform better in many areas – art, music, writing, etc etc. But sports? Man, they are getting truly pathetic and sloppy with their shit anymore if you ask me.
I might have to agree.
Ive played flag football while High, + I was the biggest star on the field. Well, not the biiggest, but with the most stats thats for sure.
Basketball too, football, Ive never played soccer our baseball high though.
Performance enchanement?
YEAAAA!!!!
Listen to this frute Luke, you need to go study some more big boy.
Go out side more for that.
the name mike phelps comes to mind…..
From an old article that ran in Forbes magazine
“I personally know boxers, body builders, cyclists, runners and athletes from all walks of life that train and compete with the assistance of marijuana,” said WWE wrestler Rob Van Dam.
Some of the best cricket players of all time, like Phil Tufnell and Sir Ian Botham, have admitted to regularly using marijuana to deal with the stress and muscle aches common to all athletes. In 2001, half of South Africa’s cricket team was punished after being caught toking up with the team physiotherapist.
Regular marijuana use didn’t impede the ability of basketball legends like Rasheed Wallace, Charles Oakley or Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Indeed, Oakley has claimed that over half of NBA players smoke pot before each game. Since these players are top athletes whose career depends on them being at peak performance for every game, it stands to reason that perhaps they are using marijuana because it provides some benefit to their abilities on the court.
Cannabis can actually enhance and improve human abilities. Discovering how toking up possibly helps the world’s greatest athletes to better their performance could also teach us how this plant can better serve us all
lets not forget Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps….Ricky Williams… a great NFL player who has spoken out about the benefits of marijuana,despite it costing him endorsements and almost his entire football career…. Mark Stepnoski…two-time Super Bowl champion. Who confirmed “responsible use” of marijuana during his pro career.”
What is going on? There is rules for us and different rules for everyone else. It took over ten women to say that Mr. Woods cheated on his wife with, before his endorsments cut his ads. Mr. Phelps was dropped like a rock over a single bong hit. The bong hit never hurt anyone. The cheating destroyed a family. The bong hit was a bigger money maker for the cops who arrested the six or eight other people involved. The cheating a–hole could not be fined or arested. Thats why. Seems to me something stinks, and it is our own government. We can destroy families, cause untold amounts of pain to other people, on purpose, but we cannot have a bong hit. I am so confused. Keep tokin and overgrow big bro.
HELL YEAH!!!
Just look at Bob Marley!
Have you ever been to Jamaica? I saw a few Jamaican locals beat the hell out of a vacaitioning UK soccer team compleatly clowned them( it was funny to watch stoned).
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