Why do athletes smoke weed? For some, cannabis isn’t about getting high before competition. It’s about pain relief, recovery, anxiety, sleep, and avoiding stronger prescription drugs. Yet athletes can still face suspensions and lost opportunities for using a substance that research suggests may offer little direct performance advantage.
This video examines the controversy through cases like Sha’Carri Richardson and Olympic snowboarder Ross Rebagliati, while exploring why organizations such as WADA continue to restrict cannabis. We look at the history of drug use in sport, the origins of marijuana prohibition, and how decades of political and cultural stigma shaped modern anti-doping rules.
We also explore what cannabis may actually do for athletes. Research suggests it can make pain feel more manageable, improve mood during exercise, and reduce anxiety for some users. At the same time, it can negatively affect coordination, reaction time, and lung health when smoked.
Cannabis may not make athletes faster or stronger, but if it helps them recover, manage pain, and stay mentally balanced, should it really be treated like traditional performance-enhancing drugs?
00:32 - Sha’Carri Richardson’s Olympic Ban
01:47 - The Ross Rebagliati Rule
03:02 - Does Weed Enhance Performance?
04:04 - The History of Doping in Sports
06:40 - How Weed Became the Enemy
11:46 - What Cannabis Actually Does for Athletes
14:14 - Why Athletes Keep Using It
Narrated by: Josh Risser
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