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Cannabis Is Not Doping
1Laboratory of Exercise Biology, Department of Health Sciences, Federal University of Santa Catarina-UFSC, Araranguá, Brazil.
Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research
|June 6, 2023
Summary
Cannabis and phytocannabinoids should be removed from the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Prohibited List. Research shows cannabis offers no performance enhancement and poses minimal health risks to athletes.
Area of Science:
- Sports Medicine
- Pharmacology
- Anti-Doping Science
Background:
- The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) currently prohibits cannabis and its derivatives, classifying them as doping agents.
- WADA's criteria for prohibited substances include performance enhancement (ergogenicity), health risks, or violation of the spirit of sport.
- Cannabidiol (CBD) is the only cannabinoid currently excluded from the WADA Prohibited List.
Purpose of the Study:
- To present an evidence-based argument for the delisting of cannabis and phytocannabinoids.
- To critically evaluate the scientific basis for classifying cannabis as a doping substance.
- To challenge the interpretation of 'spirit of sport' as applied to cannabis prohibition.
Main Methods:
- Review of scientific literature on the ergogenic and health effects of cannabis in athletes.
- Analysis of WADA's classification criteria and their application to cannabis.
- Examination of the definition and implications of the 'spirit of sport' in anti-doping.
Main Results:
- Cannabis is neither ergogenic nor ergolytic; it does not enhance athletic performance.
- Existing research suggests that health risks associated with cannabis use in athletes are often overestimated.
- The 'spirit of sport' criterion is ambiguously defined and applied, extending beyond performance and safety to moral policing.
Conclusions:
- Cannabis and phytocannabinoids do not meet WADA's established criteria for prohibited substances.
- The current prohibition of cannabis contradicts scientific evidence regarding performance and health risks.
- Revising the WADA Prohibited List to exclude cannabis and phytocannabinoids is recommended based on scientific evidence and a clearer definition of sport's objectives.
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