The use of cannabis by athletes has been banned by many sports commissions. However, some have relaxed their policies as societal attitudes towards its use have shifted. The prohibition of cannabis use in sports has been described as "one of the most controversial issues in anti-doping".
There is no scientific consensus regarding the performance-enhancing effects of cannabis, with one 2018 paper reporting "there is no evidence for cannabis use as a performance-enhancing drug". Other reasons cited for banning its use include an increased risk of injury in-competition and the view that users of cannabis are not good role models.
Calls for eliminating cannabis testing have come from the perspective of better pain management and reducing usage of opioids. Athletes such as Eugene Monroe and Derrick Morgan have called for further investigation into its potential for treating and preventing concussions.
World Anti-Doping Agency Following the 1998 Tour de France doping scandal, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) convened the First World Conference on Doping in Lausanne, Switzerland, in February 1999. From this conference the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) was formed in November 1999 to "lead a collaborative worldwide movement for doping-free sport" through activities such as "scientific research, education, and development of anti-doping capacities". In 2004, WADA published the World Anti-Doping Code and included cannabis among the substances prohibited by the code. As of 2021, there are more than 700 sports organization that adhere to the code; these include the International Olympic Committee, International Paralympic Committee, national anti-doping agencies, and various professional sports leagues.
WADA relaxed its policy towards cannabis in 2013, increasing from 15 ng/mL to 150 ng/mL the level of THC metabolite allowed in urine before an athlete is considered to have failed a drug test. Said WADA Director of Communications Julie Masse: "We wanted to focus on the athletes that abuse the substance in competition. This should exclude cases where marijuana is not used in competition." The 150 ng/mL threshold also allows for a 180 ng/mL "Decision Limit" to be used to account for any uncertainties in measurement above a certain level of confidence. According to WADA statistics, the percentage of failed drug tests for cannabis use dropped from 9.0% in 2012 to 2.4% in 2014.
WADA's policy towards cannabis came under scrutiny in 2021 following the banning of U.S. track and field athlete Sha'Carri Richardson from the Tokyo Summer Olympics. The suspension was criticized by U.S. Representatives Barbara Lee, Earl Blumenauer, and 16 other members of Congress who wrote that the policy was "outdated and restrictive" and that the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) and WADA should "re-evaluate its criteria and decision to include cannabis, specifically tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) as a prohibited substance". USADA wrote to Representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Jamie Raskin agreeing that "Ms. Richardson's exclusion from the Tokyo Olympic Games is a heartbreaking situation and that the World Anti-Doping Agency's rules concerning marijuana must change". It also noted that as a signatory to the World Anti-Doping Code, USADA has an obligation to enforce the rules regarding cannabis use, and that changing the rules might be problematic as the vast majority of countries still criminalize the drug. The Office of National Drug Control Policy stated that it would meet with WADA to "gather additional information on its cannabis policies".
In September 2021, WADA announced that it would conduct a review to determine whether cannabis should remain on the list of prohibited substances. A press release stated: "Following receipt of requests from a number of stakeholders, the [Executive Committee] endorsed the decision of the List Expert Advisory Group to initiate in 2022 a scientific review of the status of cannabis. Cannabis is currently prohibited in competition and will continue to be in 2022."
In September 2022, WADA announced that cannabis would remain on the list of banned substances, concluding that its usage continues, "at this time, to be against the spirit of sport across a range of areas as listed in the Code." WADA further stated that it "plans to continue research in this area in relation with THC's potential performance enhancing effects, its impact on the health of athletes and also in relation to perceptions of cannabis from athletes, experts and others around the world."
College and youth sports Testing for cannabis by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) began when it instituted a comprehensive drug testing program in 1986. Initially a 15 ng/mL threshold was established and any positive test resulted in a full-season suspension. In 2013 the threshold was lowered to 5 ng/mL while the penalty was relaxed to a half-season suspension. The threshold was then raised to 15 ng/mL in 2017, 35 ng/mL in 2019, and 150 ng/mL in 2022. Also in 2022, the NCAA Committee on Competitive Safeguards and Medical Aspects of Sports (CSMAS) recommended a relaxed penalty structure for divisions to adopt. In September 2023, it recommended that testing for cannabis be eliminated in all three divisions. In June 2024, the Division I Council voted to remove cannabis from the list of banned substances in the division. This meant cannabis would no longer be tested for in Division I postseason, though individual schools can still opt to test for it during the regular season.
A 2015 Associated Press investigation found that 23 of 57 schools analyzed had reduced penalties for cannabis use since 2005. A 2014 medical review found that almost 28% of college athletes in the United States self reported using cannabis in the past year.
A pamphlet produced by the United States Department of Justice in the 1990s for youth sports coaches admonished them to "Explain that marijuana is illegal and that the athlete can be arrested or suspended from school and sports for using it", and listed several deleterious physical and psychological effects of marijuana including "decreased stamina, weight gain, and reduced muscle strength.. . [l]aziness, lack of motivation, loss of control, and poor decisionmaking".
Individual sports
American football In March 2020, the National Football League (NFL) changed its policy regarding cannabis after signing a new collective bargaining agreement with the National Football League Players Association (NFLPA). The agreement stipulated that positive tests would no longer result in a suspension and that players would only be suspended for missing multiple tests or refusing treatment. It also shortened the timeframe for which players would be tested from four months to two weeks, and raised the threshold for a positive test from 35 ng/mL of THC metabolite to 150 (prior to 2014 the threshold was set at 15). All-Pro running back Ricky Williams is among the players that have been suspended under the league's old policy, failing multiple tests that led him to miss the entire 2004 and 2006 seasons.
In 2016, Eugene Monroe and Derrick Morgan became the first active NFL players to publicly challenge the league's policy of suspending players for cannabis use. A number of retired players have also advocated for the change, including Jim McMahon, Jake Plummer, Kyle Turley, Nate Jackson, Eben Britton, Leonard Marshall, Marvin Washington, Todd Herremans, Boo Williams, and Ricky Williams. In 2016, several of these active and retired players signed a letter penned by Doctors for Cannabis Regulation requesting that the NFL change its policy regarding cannabis. Reasons that have been cited in advocating for the change include the potential use of cannabis as a neuroprotectant, its use for pain relief as an opioid alternative, and the hypocrisy of the league promoting the use of alcohol.
In 2018, running back Mike James petitioned the NFL for a therapeutic use exemption (TUE) to the league's ban on cannabis use. James cited a previous addiction to opioid drugs and argued that he should be allowed to use cannabis for pain relief instead. The petition was subsequently denied.
In 2016, the NFL announced the formation of a committee to study issues of pain management among players, including the use of cannabis as medicine. In June 2021, the NFL announced that it would award $1 million in funding for such research. In February 2022 the NFL announced the awarding of two grants for cannabis research, one of which would additionally investigate its benefits in treating concussions.
In 2017, former New York Jets defensive end Marvin Washington was part of a lawsuit filed against Attorney General Jeff Sessions, challenging the classification of cannabis as a Schedule I drug and citing the racist origins of cannabis laws as a reason why its prohibition is unconstitutional. Following the lawsuit's dismissal, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to take up the case in October 2020.
During the early 2000s, All-Pro center Mark Stepnoski served as president of the Texas chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws. The Office of National Drug Control Policy criticized his advocacy by saying it could encourage young people to use the drug. His activism also caused his high school alma mater, Cathedral Preparatory School, to cancel his induction into the school's athletic hall of fame.
Other players that have advocated for legalization include Eugene Monroe, chairman of the "Yes on 4" campaign in Maryland that was formed to support the passage of Question 4 in 2022. Jim McMahon appeared in a TV ad supporting the passage of a 2016 Arizona legalization measure.
NFL players who are entrepreneurs in the cannabis industry include Calvin Johnson, Rob Sims, Marshawn Lynch, Tiki Barber, Kyle Turley, Jordan Reed, Marvin Washington, Ricky Williams, and Ryan Shazier. Johnson and Sims, who are business partners, announced a partnership with Harvard University in 2019 to study the effects of cannabis on chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) and its benefits in managing pain. They also announced a six-figure donation to the International Phytomedicines and Medical Cannabis Institute at Harvard.
Association football
National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) player Megan Rapinoe has served as an "athlete ambassador" for a CBD startup company. Scottish club Hamilton Academical attracted attention in 2018 when they were sponsored by a local company which also involved the renaming of their ground as the Hope CBD Stadium.
Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) began testing players in Minor League Baseball (MiLB) for performance-enhancing substances and drugs of abuse in 2001. Testing for MLB players began in 2003 after MLB and the MLB Players Association agreed to it through collective bargaining. However, MLB players were only tested for cannabis if there was "reasonable cause" to do so, or if it was mandated by a drug treatment program.
Cannabis was on the list of drugs of abuse until the 2019–2020 offseason, when THC and CBD were removed. Players will still be tested for synthetic cannabinoids, and are still subject to disciplinary action if they are caught using cannabis, for possession, or driving under the influence.
In June 2022, MLB began allowing teams to accept sponsorships for CBD products that are certified by NSF International as not having psychoactive levels of THC. The products will be eligible to be advertised during MLB broadcasts as well as on team jerseys. In April 2023, the Chicago Cubs became the first MLB team to be sponsored by a CBD company.