As we’ve known for a long time, the use of cannabinoids in professional and amateur sports is becoming increasingly popular these days. A recent study has just confirmed that a large majority of professional fighters in the major MMA leagues useCBD flowers for their effects.
Half of combatants use cannabis
A study found that nearly half of MMA fighters currently use cannabis for recovery or recreational purposes.
The American magazine *The Athletic* recently conducted a large-scale survey of 170 professional MMA fighters from major leagues such as Bellator and the UFC.
The study confirmed that 45.9% of service members admitted to using cannabis for recovery or recreational purposes during their careers, while 4.7% used it regularly in the past but have since stopped.
75% of them use CBD
In addition to the results above, a total of 76.5% of the fighters involved in the survey reported that they used products containing CBD products to aid in their natural recovery.
Jeff Novitzky, the UFC's vice president of athlete health and performance, is not surprised by the study's findings:
“I’ve had many, many, many discussions on this topic. It’s probably the number one question I get asked by service members.”
The 52-year-old official recently stated that the World Anti-Doping Agency should remove cannabis from the list of banned substances, and in an interview with The Athletic, he confirmed that the figures were indeed accurate. "I think that seems pretty accurate," he said.
Novitzky explained in more detail why cannabis should be removed from the list of banned substances.
"This anti-doping law was supposed to be implemented for the protection, health, and safety of athletes. But if you look at it, it’s actually pushing athletes toward more dangerous and more addictive drugs. That’s the biggest problem I see with it. I can almost guarantee it because I’ve had these conversations with some of our athletes when I tell them they have to stop using cannabis a few weeks before a fight."
CBD, which is already authorized
As of January1, 2018, CBD has been officially authorized and removed from the list of banned substances: it is now freely available to a large number of professional and amateur athletes, and is even promoted by some professional sports leagues.
For many people, CBD helps them recover naturally, without having to use opioids or chemical pain relievers, which can sometimes cause harmful side effects.
